IIHF Congress starts today

The delegates from the IIHF member national associations have arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the 2021 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress that will be held over the next four days.

The delegates were warmly welcomed on Tuesday evening with a reception by the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Organizing Committee, held at the Russian Museum of Ethnography.

The first two days of the congress will include topics such as reports from various areas on the 2020/2021 season, the potential admission of new member national associations, allocations of 2022 championships that haven’t been allocated yet in June or have been impacted by scheduling changes, presentations of upcoming World Championships and the upcoming Olympic Winter Games, modifications of the IIHF Statutes & Bylaws and Regulations. The last two days of the Congress will centre around preparation for the elections, with candidate presentations on Friday and voting on Saturday.

Among the changes is the hosting of the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, which is proposed to be held annually including during Olympic years starting from 2022 (see here), an adjustment to allow changes in the IIHF Rule Book on an annual basis, and modifications to the IIHF World Ranking that will adjust for the impact of cancelled tournaments during the pandemic as well as potentially include more participating teams.

Side events during these days include the induction of René Fasel, who leaves after 27 years as IIHF President, into the IIHF Hall of Fame (click here for more information), a Legends’ Game and cultural events in St. Petersburg.

The actual elections will happen on Saturday with the election of the new President, Vice-Presidents and other members of the IIHF Council as well as Auditors, the Disciplinary Board, the Ethics Board and the Appeal Board.

The following five candidates (in alphabetical order) have been nominated for the presidential elections: Henrik Bach Nielsen (Denmark), Petr Briza (Czech Republic), Sergej Gontcharov (Belarus), Franz Reindl (Germany) and Luc Tardif (France). Click here for more information on the candidates.

In total there are 23 candidates for positions on the 14-person IIHF Council. Click here for the full list of candidates.

The congress can be watched live on IIHF.com