BRATISLAVA, May 8 (Xinhua) -- For the second time in the country's history, Slovakia will be hosting the prestigious Ice Hockey World Championship in the towns of Bratislava and Kosice from May 10-26.
Slovakia, where ice hockey is the number one sport, won the 2002 edition of the tournament.
In 2011, Slovakia hosted their first Ice Hockey World Championship and the national team was expected to advance to the play-offs, but the amount of pressure from the fans tied the players' hands and the team ended up 10th overall, bringing great disappointment to the home crowd. This year, the squad led by the Canadian-born coach Craig Ramsay will get the chance for a do-over.
A total of 16 countries will be participating in the tournament, divided into two groups in the first stage. Group A games will be played in Kosice, the second largest town in Slovakia. The local Steel Arena, home of the Kosice Hockey Club with a capacity of more than 8 000 spectators, has been upgraded to accommodate all the 8 teams of Group A (Canada, Finland, USA, Germany, Slovakia, Denmark, France, and Britain). Every team has their own spacious locker room, Team Slovakia having the most comfortable one, featuring a whirlpool and a cryo chamber.
Group B matches will be played in the largest arena in Slovakia, the Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava. It is the home of Slovan Bratislava Hockey Club and can accommodate more than 10 000 spectators. During the group phase of the tournament, Sweden (the defending world champions), Russia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Norway, Latvia, Austria, and Italy will call it home.
Safety of the spectators will be taken very seriously, everyone will have to pass airport-style detectors in the arenas. The organizers, therefore, advise the visitors to arrive at least one and a half hours prior to every match.
Ice Hockey fans in Bratislava and Kosice can watch all the games in large and free-of-charge fan zones (equipped with big screens, as well as food and drink stalls) that have been built within walking distance from both the arenas. They will open one hour before the first game of the day and close one hour after the last. Smaller fan zones will be established in major towns all over Slovakia.
