Kosice Interested in Organising 2029 Ice Hockey World Championship

Kosice, March 1 (TASR) - If the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation (SZLH) becomes the organiser of the 2029 Ice Hockey World Championship, the city of Kosice is interested in participating in organising the event and is willing to meet the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) requirements regarding the reconstruction of the Steel Arena, the city council declared in a resolution during its meeting this week. Mayor Jaroslav Polacek announced that the board of the Kosice Arena civic association, which operates the Steel Arena, has also expressed support for hosting the world championship in Kosice. "At the same time, they made a commitment that if the IIHF decides to hold the World Ice Hockey Championship in Kosice, they'll do everything necessary to secure funding for the required tasks, in particular increasing the capacity of the Steel Arena to over 10,000 seats," he said, adding that a preliminary study has been completed. The city claims that participants of the 2011 and 2019 world championships left Kosice satisfied. "Their satisfaction is a sufficient guarantee that if the Slovak Republic's application is successful, the IIHF 2029 Ice Hockey World Championship will be held in Kosice for the enjoyment and satisfaction of all spectators, players, coaches, support teams, journalists and guests of the world championship," the city stated in the explanatory report for the proposal, which was approved by the city council. lin/df/ko