MADRID, 13 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ice Hockey World Championship in Division II of Group A, which will be held in Madrid from April 16 to 22, was presented this Thursday by the Royal Spanish Ice Sports Federation (RFEDH) in the company of the main institutions of the Community of Madrid and the City Council of the capital.
The event was attended by Frank González, president of the RFEDH; Luciano Basile, national coach; Alberto Tomé, Deputy Minister of Sports of the Community of Madrid, and Sofía Miranda, Delegate Councilor for Sports of the Madrid City Council.
The RFEDH has indicated in a press release that “all the speakers have expressed their enthusiasm for hosting the event for the first time in Madrid”. As an added incentive, it will coincide with the centenary of Spanish ice hockey (1923-2023), according to an anniversary that occurred on March 10.
The Spanish team, which was last in Division I in 2011, will have to fight against Israel, Australia, Georgia, Iceland and Croatia in a regular league format, where only the first classified achieves the gold medal that implies the category upgrade.
The debut of the Spanish team, at the Madrid Ice Rink, will be next Sunday against Israel (7:30 p.m.). The group of 22 players coached by Luciano Basile is one of the youngest in Division II, with an average of just over 22 years.
After the press conference, Spain has lost a friendly against Australia. “The meeting was held in front of more than 60 students from a school in Madrid, the result of an activity in coordination with the Madrid City Council that was attended by Alicia Martín, General Director of Sports at the City Council”, added the RFEDH in his note.
This 2023 Madrid World Cup is organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and by the RFEDH itself, with the institutional sponsorship of the Higher Sports Council (CSD) and the Madrid City Council and Community.
In addition, the tournament receives the collaboration of the Madrid Winter Sports Federation (FMDI). The RFEDH has thanked “sponsors such as Lotteries, Joma or Sidgad and official suppliers such as Supercor, Goiko, MiÓptico and Top Global for their participation”.