On February 17, Beijing time, THE PRESIDENT OF THE ICE FEDERATION LUKE-TADEIF, THE MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ICE FEDERATION COUNCIL PETER BRIZA AND JORENNAO-COLBENHAIR, AS WELL AS THE PRESIDIUM MEMBERS OF THE ICE HOCKEY EVENTS OF THE WINTER OLYMPICS MET WITH MEDIA REPORTERS AT THE PRESS CENTER OF THE 2022 BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS, DISCUSSED TOPICS RELATED TO THE EVENT AND THE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY COMMUNITY, AND EXPRESSED PERSONAL OPINIONS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE ICE HOCKEY IN RECENT YEARS AND THE FUTURE PLANNING OF INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY IN CHINA.
/Developing Chinese Ice Hockey/
Due to covid-19 prevention and control measures, the number of spectators at the two most advanced Winter Olympic ice rinks has been limited. However, the players still formed a joyful interactive atmosphere with a small number of local fans in the stands and other sports athletes.
"Our mission is to spread the sport of ice hockey to all parts of the world. We come to China with confidence, but it is difficult to assess the impact that Winter Olympic ice hockey can have on China and Asia. In the match between the Chinese women's ice team and the Japanese team, 90 million people watched the live broadcast of the game, which is incredible. The president of the National Ice Federation talked about the ratings data of the women's ice hockey match of the Winter Olympics.
"The future is worth looking forward to. In the past two years, China has built 89 ice hockey rinks. Now, they can inherit the influence of the Winter Olympics. At present, there are 22 member states of the National Ice Federation in Asia, and after hosting the Winter Olympic Games in Asia for two consecutive times, the sport of ice hockey in Asia has developed by leaps and bounds. ”
/More events can be introduced to China in the future/
"We want to further promote the sport of ice hockey in China. The Winter Olympics are only the first step, and it's a long-term job. Russia's KHL league and women's professional league have Chinese teams. If we want to succeed, we have to work hard. We want to set up an office in Asia to promote the sport of ice hockey so that every teenager can participate. It will take time, and we will continue to move forward with this work, not overnight. ”
Tadif stressed that the game of ice hockey in China is not starting from scratch. The Chinese women's ice team participated in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and the Chinese men's ice team was a First Division team in 2007.
"We didn't start from scratch, China has built a lot of new ice hockey rinks, hoping to help the development of ice hockey." The national team performed well at the Winter Olympics, with women's ice taking two victories. Everyone used to worry about the performance of men's ice, but they played a good level. The Chinese team needs to maintain this momentum and continue to make progress. ”
"We can feel that China's sports authorities have made a lot of efforts for the ice hockey game at the Winter Olympics. To host an event of this level, you need to have competent collaborators. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Winter Olympics is very important to us, and they are as good as the organizers of Japan and South Korea. ”
Briza added that using the homegrown system to train hockey players comes at a time cost. "It takes 10, 12, or even 15 years for the youth system to be successful. To produce 25 professional players, you need to have thousands of children as the foundation. ”
He said: "In order to participate in this Winter Olympic Games, the Chinese team has made great efforts, and their performance in the competition is very outstanding. We hope to continue to cooperate with China to promote the development of ice hockey. We want to be able to teach people to fish, not to teach people to fish. ”
Outside of the arena, the INTERNATIONAL ICE FEDERATION registered accounts on Chinese social media and gained 200,000 new users. These platforms will provide Chinese fans with more top-level event news, video content, and content from the Chinese national team's international ice hockey organization.
(Article translated from the IIHF website)