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. 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 Russian men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Russia,overseen by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. As of 2021,they were rated third in the IIHF World Ranking. The team has competed internationally from 1992 until a 2022 ban,and is recognized by the IIHF as the successor to the Soviet Union team and CIS team. Russia has been one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six," the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations,along with Canada,the Czech Republic,Finland,Sweden,and the United States. The European nations of the Big Six participate in the Euro Hockey Tour,which Russia won nine times since 2005. Since September 2021,the head coach is Alexei Zhamnov,who took over from Valeri Bragin.
The Chinese women's national ice hockey team represents China at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women's Championships,the Asian Winter Games,and other international competitions. The women's national team is governed by the Chinese Ice Hockey Association. China's national women's program is ranked twentieth in the world by the IIHF and has 808 active players as of 2020.
The Slovenia men's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Slovenia internationally. It is governed by the Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia. As of May 2023,Slovenia is ranked 17th in the world by the IIHF World Ranking. The team's biggest success is reaching the quarter-finals at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Their best record at the Ice Hockey World Championships is 13th place,while their highest IIHF ranking is 12th place.
Danmarks Ishockey Union or DIU is the governing body of ice hockey in Denmark. It is a member of the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The association was founded on 27 November 1949 and became a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation the same year.
The Spanish men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Spain. The team is administered by the Spanish Ice Sports Federation,itself a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). As of April 2020,the Spanish men's national program is 31st on the IIHF World Rankings and has 135 registered players. The men's national team currently competes at the IIHF World Championship Division II,Group A level.
The South Korean national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of the Republic of Korea. They are currently ranked 19th in the IIHF World Rankings and competed in the World Championship top division tournament. The team's most successful campaign thus far was a second-place finish in the 2017 Division I Group A tournament and thus qualifying for the top division in 2018. They competed in their first Winter Olympics in 2018 in Pyeongchang as the host nation.
The India national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of India. They are controlled by the Ice Hockey Association of India and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). India is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking and has not entered in any World Championship tournaments or at the Olympic Games,but they have only participated in the Challenge Cup of Asia,a regional tournament for lower-tier hockey nations in Asia.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association is the governing body of ice hockey in Finland. Since the late 1980s,Finland has enjoyed a period of success on the international stage and,as of 2022,the men's national team is ranked first in the world and the women's national team is ranked third in the world by the IIHF.
The International Ice Hockey Federation is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich,Switzerland,and has 82 member countries.
The Chinese Ice Hockey Association (CIHA) is the governing body of ice hockey in the People's Republic of China. It has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 1963.
The South Korean women's national ice hockey team is controlled by the Korea Ice Hockey Association (KIHA). In 2017,the team was promoted to Division I,Group B of the Ice Hockey Women's World Championship after winning the Division II,Group A tournament. As of 2022,the team was ranked 18th in the world.
The North Korean women's national ice hockey team represents North Korea at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World Women's Championships. The women's national team was created in 1999 and is controlled by Ice Hockey Association of the DPR Korea. North Korea has 920 female players. The North Korean women's national team is ranked 40th in the world.
Ice hockey in Sweden has a history going back to at least 1912 and is one of the country's most popular sports. The sport was first organized in the country by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF),which was a member of the IIHF in 1912. The ice hockey department of the SvFF eventually split off to become the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) which today is still responsible for organizing Sweden's domestic leagues and its participation in tournaments internationally. The highest tier of men's ice hockey in Sweden,the SHL,brought in 1,974,388 spectators in the 2013–14 season,the highest overall attendance in Swedish sports. The SHL's average of 5,983 spectators per match is bested only by Allsvenskan,the country's top flight of association football.
The Qatari national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Qatar. They are controlled by the Qatar Winter Sports Committee and has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 18 May 2012. Qatar is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking and have not entered in any World Championship tournaments or at any Olympic Games,but have only played once in the Challenge Cup of Asia Division I tournament in 2016,a regional tournament for lower-tier hockey nations in Asia.
The Tunisia national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Tunisia. The team is controlled by the Tunisian Ice Hockey Association and has been an associate member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 22 September 2021. Tunisia is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking and has not entered in any IIHF World Championship events.
The ice hockey (hockey) competitions of the 2018 Winter Olympics were played at two venues within the Gangneung Coastal Cluster in Gangneung,South Korea. The Gangneung Hockey Centre,which seats 10,000,and the Kwandong Hockey Centre,which seats 6,000,were both originally scheduled to be completed in 2016 but appear to have been completed in early 2017. Both venues contain Olympic-sized rinks.
The Jamaica national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Jamaica. They are controlled by the Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation and became an associate member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 18 May 2012. Jamaica is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking and has not entered in any IIHF World Championship events. Jamaica made its international debut in the 2019 Amerigol LATAM Cup.
Chung Mong-won is a South Korean ice hockey administrator and businessman. He has served as chief executive officer of both Halla Group and Mando Corporation,founded the Anyang Halla hockey team in 1994,and co-founded Asia League Ice Hockey in 2003. He became involved in international ice hockey as manager of the South Korea men's national ice hockey team in 2003,then became chairman of the Korea Ice Hockey Association in 2013,and implemented a development plan for the men's national team and the South Korea women's national ice hockey team in advance of ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics hosted in South Korea. Under his leadership,the men's national team earned promotion to the top tier at the 2018 IIHF World Championship,and the women's national team played in the 2018 Winter Olympics on a Unified Korea team with North Korea. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has named Chung to its 2020 IIHF Hall of Fame group of inductees.
(28 May 2023) [1] 
