Ice Hockey World Championship, May 2011, Slovakia

The 75th Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship will take place in Bratislava and Košice, Slovakia, from April 29 to May 15, 2011. Hockey fans from around the world will flock to the stadiums in Slovakia to cheer on their teams — sports fans interested in attending should start looking for a holiday apartment or hotel in Bratislava and Košice now.

The IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) awarded the 2011 Ice Hockey World Championship to Slovakia at its congress on May 19, 2006. At the annual congress, held in the Latvian capital, Riga, Slovakia’s bid won a clear victory with a total of 70 votes, beating competition from Sweden (20 votes) and Hungary (14 votes). Finland, also a contender, withdrew its bid shortly before the vote. Thus Slovakia, the 2002 world champions, will host an Ice Hockey World Championship for the first time since the separation from the Czech Republic. There was great jubilation in the host cities of Bratislava and Košice following the IIHF’s announcement: Slovakia is a country passionate about ice hockey and more than worthy of hosting the World Championship. Bratislava is no stranger to the World Championship atmosphere: the Slovak capital last hosted an Ice Hockey World Championship in 1992, before the end of Czechoslovakia, together with Prague.

A total of 16 national teams will take part in the Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia. The groups for the preliminary round were assigned following the 2010 World Championship, according to the current world rankings.