The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European Championships, the precursor to the World Championships, were first held in 1910. The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship. From 1920 to 1968, the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year.
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in international association football. Historically, a team participated in FIFA and UEFA competitions as Bohemia and Czechoslovakia.
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1920 to 1992. The team was controlled by the Czechoslovak Football Association, and the team qualified for eight World Cups and three European Championships. It had two runner-up finishes in World Cups, in 1934 and 1962, and won the European Championship in the 1976 tournament.
The Switzerland men's national ice hockey team is a founding member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and is controlled by the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation. As of 2018 the Swiss team was ranked 7th in the world by the IIHF.
The Italy women's national football team has represented Italy in international women's football since their inception in 1968. The team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing body for football in Italy.
The Bohemia national ice hockey team was the national ice hockey team of the Kingdom of Bohemia, a kingdom within Austria-Hungary. The team competed between 1909 and 1914 playing in four European Championships. Playing its last game in 1914, the team was succeeded by the Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team after the Kingdom of Bohemia was dissolved and became part of the First Czechoslovak Republic.
The British women's national ice hockey team represents Great Britain at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World Women's Championships. The women's national team is controlled by Ice Hockey UK. As of 2011, Great Britain has 476 female players.
Czechoslovakia, formally the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. The team consisted of 74 athletes, which was the largest number at that time. It was the last time Czechoslovakia participated in the Winter Olympics, because the state split to Czech Republic and Slovakia and both countries entered their independent teams to the 1994 Winter Olympics.
The Czech Republic competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. It was the first Winter Games since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, and so the Czech Republic and Slovakia competed as independent teams.
The 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 11th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was held in Piešťany, Trenčín, Nitra, and Topoľčany, Czechoslovakia. Finland captured its first World Junior gold medal, Czechoslovakia took silver, and Sweden the bronze. The tournament is most remembered, however, for how the medals were allocated ; see the next section for more details.
The Belgium women's national football team represents Belgium in international women's football. It is controlled by the Royal Belgian Football Association, the governing body for football in Belgium. Their home stadium is Den Dreef and their current coach Ives Serneels. During most of its history the team has had poor results, but showed improvement in the Euro 2013 and 2015 World Cup Qualifiers. In 2016 they qualified for their first major tournament: Euro 2017.
The 1996 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 60th such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Teams representing 36 countries participated in several levels of competition, with Slovakia making their first appearance in the top Champions Group A, in their fourth tournament since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the formation of the separate Czech Republic and Slovakia men's national ice hockey teams. The competition also served as qualifications for group placements in the 1997 competition.
Sports play a significant part in the life of many Czechs who are generally loyal supporters of their favourite teams or individuals.
The 1991 IIHF European Women Championships was held March 15 – March 23, 1991, in Czechoslovakia. Finland skated to their 2nd consecutive tournament with a 2–1 victory of Sweden in the final, after trailing 1–0 at the end of the 2nd Period.
The 1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 17th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was held in Gävle, Sweden. Canada won the gold medal, its sixth championship, while Sweden won silver, and the combined team of the Czech and Slovak Republics won bronze. Peter Forsberg of Sweden scored a tournament record 31 points, while teammate Markus Näslund's 13 goals also set a tournament record.
The 1994 Ice Hockey World Junior Championship was the 18th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was held in Ostrava and Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic. Canada won the gold medal for the second consecutive year, and its seventh overall, while Sweden won silver, and Russia the bronze.
The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannheim, and one game at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen. The Russian team was the defending champion, having won the previous two championships.
The 2012 IIHF World Championship was the 76th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 4–20 May 2012 in Finland and Sweden. This tournament determined the countries’ seeding for the men's Olympic Ice Hockey tournament in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics, and for all countries participating in the qualification program leading up to the Olympics.
The Kazakh men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Kazakhstan. The team represents Kazakhstan at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship Division I. They have played in the championship level 8 times
The Ukraine women's national ice hockey team is the women's national ice hockey team of Ukraine. The team is controlled by the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. They made their World Championship debut in 2019 winning all four games to gain promotion to Division II B.
