They were favorites. They won. France and Germany, who presented a joint candidacy, were designated by the member countries of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to organize the World Championship in 2017. The Franco-German file was preferred to his rival, an unprecedented team composed of Denmark and Latvia, by 63 votes to 45.
The event will be shared between Cologne and Paris, between the Lanxess Arena (18 seats) and the Palais Omnisport de Paris-Bercy. The two sites will each host during the preliminary round the matches of the group in which their national team plays, then each will host two quarter-finals. As main organizer, Germany will then host the two semi-finals, the 500rd place match and the final in Cologne. The World Cup will be held from May 3 to 5, 21.
Reaction from Luc Tardif, the president of the French Ice Hockey Federation: “We We are particularly honored and proud to be able to co-organize the 2017 World Championship on our territory. It is now an important challenge that awaits us with our German friends, that of organizing in Cologne and Paris a unique and significant event for all the participating nations and for the numerous spectators, lovers of our sport and neophytes, that we have ambition to attract. We are going to take it on with great enthusiasm, relying on the expertise and great experience of the Germans and bringing together all the driving forces of our ice hockey around a driving project for the development of our sport.»
In 2017, France will have previously organized the Men's World Handball Championship, scheduled for January.
