Ice Hockey World Championship 2006

Playin'

2006-05-08T09:20:00.000+02:00

The saturday's game between Russia and Kazakhstan was unbelievably easy: 10-1 for Russian Federation. The Team looked more than confident ,opponents, Kazakhs, looked weak. As simple as that. The fans at the Arena Riga, more than 7 000 of them - looked as usual- amazing. Russian team has plenty of supporters in Riga and we all wish them not less and not more- to win a title of the World Champions in 2006.
Today, at 16-15 p.m. Russia- Belarus, Arena Riga and on TV in Riga's bars and restaurants.

For Danish and Norwegian Fans

2006-05-02T11:43:00.000+02:00

Hey guys,

Just want to let you know that I have bought two tickets to Norway- Danmark game (May 9, 16.16, Arena Skonto)and since I will not be able to make it to the game, I am selling two tickets at a lower price. Two tickets- 40 Lvl (each ticket costs 24 Lvl originally) the price is indicated on the tickets, so you may be sure there it is not a speculation or anything similar. The seats are in sector 107, I do not remember the exact seat numbers, as tickets are not in my office, but if you are interested, let me know and all information will be provided.
Please send me an e-mail or SMS + 371 29613971, in case you are interested.

See you all in Riga this week!!!

Sincerely

JK

Ozolinsh quits his career

2006-05-02T11:24:00.000+02:00

Foto: www.hockey.lv

Sandis Ozolinsh, a legend that made us fall in love in Latvian hockey, has announced today, that after his NHL 800-th game, he is quitting his hockey career. Sandis is a great team player and with his help, Team Latvia has held some amazing games and victories.
Sandis is planning now to invest in a new golf club in Latvia. He has established the first golf club in Riga, in May 2002.

Just several days to go...

2006-04-27T16:25:00.000+02:00

Hello Dear All!

I have not been posting anything for about a year now, which is upsetting, however, I will try to make it up now. I have been writing my Bachelor's Thesis and it took me lonfer than I expected.

Well, first of all, I want to say Thank You, to all who wrote me e-mails and considered my weblog useful. I appreciate your feedback.
The WHC starts in just three days, and Riga is starting to look like a true Hockey Capital. There are posters, adverts, events everywhere around the city, people are buying the last tickets to games. Swiss and danish teams are here already. Me, myself, I am totally excited about Russian forward Ovechkin coming to town. Go Russia!!!

All of you, who are coming to Riga this week- you are lucky as the weather is warm and there is no rain (so far so good).

There will be two opening ceremonies held on May 5. First, during USA-NOR game at 4.15 p.m. and the second one at 20.15 before LAT-CZE game. So, the opening ceremonies will be held at both arenas- Arena Riga and Skonto Halle.

We have been waiting for this for a long time and finally the Champs is about to start.

Good luck everyone!

Sincerely,

JK

Groups for IHWC 2006

2005-05-17T17:57:00.000+02:00

Today in Riga Guild, the groups for 2006 Ice Hockey Championship were publicly announced.
Group A:
Czech Republic. Slovenia, Finland, Latvia.
Group B:
Italy, Ukraine, Switzerland, Sweden.
Group C:
Slovakia, Russia, Belarus, Kazahstan.
Group D:
Denmark, Norway, USA, Canada.

The teams were chosen according to the IIHF ratings. Teams were divided into 4 divisions first, and after a draw, the teams for each group, A, B, C or D were picked from each division.
Here are the mentioned divisions:
1. Canada, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia.
2. Russia, USA, Finland, Switzerland.
3. Latvia, Ukraine, Belarus, Denmark.
4. Kazahstan, Slovenia, Norway, Italy.

The 2005 battle over for Latvia

2005-05-11T11:22:00.000+02:00

Definitely, you watched the game. Latvia- Sweden: 1-9.
Such a tremendous score difference was unexpected, really. Team Latvia had a very hard game, and the players were uncomparable to Swedes, who were faster, stronger, more technical and most importantly-more precise.
Irbe, the goalie has a weak place, and it is widely exposed when playing with the team of Sweden. Masalsky, let out later in the third period, did not save the game.
The only goal scored by Latvia was made not by an experienced NHL or Russian league professional, but by a rookie player Ziedinsh.
The next game, I guess, will be the Turin Olympics 2006, where we will see Team Latvia in action, and after that, in the same year 2006, the Ice Hockey World Championship in Latvia will begin.
In 2005 Latvia has finished on the ninth place.

JK

Latvia - Finland

2005-05-09T09:53:00.000+02:00

Today, Latvia will have the most important game so far. At 9-15, Latvian time. Latvia will play against Finland and in case of Victory, the way to the next Championship period is open for Latvia.
According to the players they are tuned in for the action and will do anything they can to win over the strong team of Finland.
JK

Qualified

2005-05-06T15:26:00.000+02:00

The game on May 5 showed that Latvia is now qualified to continue fighting for a victory in the next group. A victory over Slovenia 3-1 was obvious, however we expected much more.
The opponents of Latvia will first be Ukraine, then Finland and Sweden. Tomorrow, on May 7, the game versus Ukranians will be held in Austria. They, most likely are the weakest of other two hockey pros, but Latvia still needs to fight to smash them down.
The mood of the players is quite optimistic, at least it was so before the USA game, and guys really were tuned in to the fighting spirit, saying that they would fight till the end. Unfortunately, did not happen.
The scandal broke down with the judge, who did not count two obvious goals made by Latvia.
Hope he will be dismissed from the IHWC 2005 from now, after Kirovs Lipmans and Leonids Beresnev have claimed to appeal aginst his judging the game.
Latvia vs. Ukraine Saturday, 7 May 17-15
Latvia vs. Finland Monday, 9 May 21-15
Latvia vs. Sweden Tuesday, 10 May 21-15

Keep Track
JK

Decent start

2005-05-03T12:23:00.000+02:00

Today, the second game of Team Latvia will take place in Austria. Team's opponents are not the weakest ones in the Group, but hopefully will be won and conquered today at 9 p.m. Latvian Time.
Latvia-USA had had some past experience. I believe that two games were won by Latvia and one was a tighty, several years ago. Today, the Americans are getting ready for the hard game. Latvia showed Canadians its eagerness to fight and win, sport spirit of Latvians was felt when watching the game. Americans, in their turn will attempt to tune into the spirit of the previous game with Slovenia, which resulted in a dry score of 7-0, in favour of the States.
Two noticeable goalies will oppose each other today: A. Irbe (called The Wall, for his outstanding defence) vs. T. Conklin, who actually was named the best Goalie of the Championship in Prague 2004.
Latvia lost Canada: 4-6
America won to Slovenia: 7-0

IHWC 2005 in Austria begins today!

2005-04-30T13:07:00.000+02:00

Today, on April 30, 2005 in Austria, the Ice Hockey World Championship starts. The first games, that will open the Championship are Canada-Latvia, in Innsbruck, and Russia-Austria, in Vienna.
Both games start at 17-15 Latvian time and are expected to be watched by more than 50% of entire Latvian popullation.
Let's support the teams and watch them in action, today.
Welcome to Austria.
Yours
JK

Website

2005-04-23T22:49:00.000+02:00

Hey guys! I have discovered that a new official website of the IHWC 2006 was established. Good Job! However, I would do some changes to it, but still, it's comprehensive and nice to visit. Tell me what you think?!How is the logo, guys? I personally think that it is really nothing new, and the one published on my weblog before looked better:)
Well, let's see what will they come up with next....

Flood of fans

2005-04-12T20:47:00.000+02:00

Hey, it is official!
The ultimate majority of fans, who will visit the IHWC 2006 in Riga, is expected to be Russians and Finns. Being the next hosts of the IHWC and being the professional in world hockey for ages, Russian fans are expected to travel to Latvia. It is not far, it is not expencive as for instance Sweden may be, and it is almost homeland for many. Finns are known as really active hockey fans, who sing and dance their ritual hockey songs all the time before, during and after the game, and also are expected to arrive in thousands.
In spite of the numerous fans from all over the world, I bet Latvian fans will not let us down, and wil represent as they always did!!!
"We have our own hockey culture and we will show it during the championship, they will all see us and remember us!" Ivan, a very eager hockey fan said:)
Well, lots of time to rehearse, let's do it !!!
Yours
JK

Cheap travel to Latvia

2005-04-12T20:32:00.000+02:00

Since the EU joining, Latvia became more accessable for everyone. After such discount companies have entered the local market, like Ryan Air and Easy Jet, it has become cheaper and faster, to get to Latvia.
Every month Air Baltic, a national Latvian air company, also offers major discounts to major European cities: Madrid or Berlin for instance. Want to save more? Order tickets online, it is as easy as it is everywhere in the world. Surely the travelling by bus is widespread. Eurolines and Ecolines, major bus transportation providers in Europe, have great deals to Riga two ways also from major European cities, like London or Paris. Finland has an advantage here, as the ferries from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia, go every 2 hours daily and busses from Tallinn to Riga embark around 6 times a day for the price of around 10 Euro. Swedes? Even better! The new ferry has been launched directly from Riga to Stockholm just recently! I hope and assume that transportation from all around Europe will be more frequent before and during the IHWC 2006.
Russians? Also easy! Train, bus, plane: anything from any city of Russia. Surely those from St. Petersburg are more lucky as they have the least distance to travel!
Americans or Canadians? A little bit more complicated, as it is far away, and kind of pricy, however still possible to get cheaper. You guys know the names of the most popular discounted tickets websites, however try to check some Russian, Ukranian or other immigrant press advertising pages: excellent deals to Latvia, cheaper than Orbitz or Travelocity will offer!!! That is a comment from personal experience, believe me:)!
Good luck folks!
Yours
JK

One more game

2005-04-12T20:18:00.000+02:00

According to updates, Team Latvia, before going over to Austria 2005 Championship, will as well have one more game with team Finland, on April 27. The game will take place in Finland town Oulu. Right away after that game, the ultimate team composition will be determined by that date as well.
The pre-championship games of Latvia before the 70-th Ice Hockey World Championship in Riga is not yet known. The closer it gets, the more info will be available, I hope!
Yours
JK

A place to go

2005-04-11T09:44:00.000+02:00

Not only Latvia is a country with beautiful landscape and historic old cities.
Most of the tourists that visit Latvia, say that the Latvian cuisine is very distinctive from the other baltic countries', and praise it for being old fashioned and traditionally served and made from ancestors' recipes.
Plenty of travelllers, who visit Riga or other Latvian cities, try our local beer. Latvian beer is a historical drink, like in most Old World countries it is too. One of the first breweries appeared in Latvia in the 16 century. Nowadays the beer market is huge. Latvia has many beer breweries, which export the beer outside over to Europe , USA, Russia. However one of the best beers is served in LIDO, the big old fashioned Latvian cuisine restaurant in Riga, which has their own brewery in it, and serves its guests only the freshest and the best quality strong, special and honey beer made locally. I suggest all who visit Latvia to go and try it there!
Beer is sold also on all hockey games in Latvia. There, you can buy Aldaris, Cesu and other sorts of local draft beer. Russian Baltika beer is also very popular in the country and is widely available.
Beer industry is the one that most benefits from the World Ice Hockey Championship. It is a tradition now in Latvia in many families, to watch the games out in the city bars at the mug of fresh local beer.
It is expected that in 2006 the beer industry will increase sales drastically due to numerous hockey fans, also beer drinkers, who will visit the IHWC in Spring.

The Practice Camp begins

2005-04-05T12:37:00.000+02:00

Yesterday in Riga, the practice camp for the preparation to

Ice Hockey World Championship in Austria, which will take place

in less than a month.
In terms of the preparation programm the hockey players will spend

several days in Slovakia, on April 13-14, where they will play two

pre-championship games. Later on April 21-23, the team will visit

Germany, as a part of their preparation practice, with the same purpose.

The most exciting part of this practical camp, is the visit of the National

Canadian Team to Riga on April 25.
After playing the latest champions of the world, the team of Latvia will

travel to Austria, where will have to fight with such strong competitors,

like USA, Canada and Slovenia.
The preliminary team is already composed, hiowever changes may apply,

since not all championships are over by the mid April, and some players

still may be finishing playing in play offs. Minor changes, most likely, will

affect the team Latvia for the next year championship, since the players

are all young and perspective for the nearest future. The coach of the

Team Latvia is Leonid Beresnev, an ex coach of a successful team

Liepajas Metallurgs, together with assistants Oleg Znarok and Harijs

Vitolinsh,who have played in Team Latvia for a long time and now are retired.
Yours
JK

70-th Anniversary for IHWC

2005-04-04T13:17:00.000+02:00

Hey everyone!
Here is a very nice article that I posted from the website on
Hockey! It apears that not only it is cool that we are hosting the
Championship, but it as well will be a unique one!
Read this, by J. Loonen.
The 2006 IIHF World Championship in Riga, Latvia will start on May 6 with the
gold medal game being played on May 21 in the brand new Riga Arena. This
will mark the latest start and also the latest finish in the history of the event, which
in 2006 will be played for the 70th time.The dates were confirmed on October 12
as the IIHF General Secretary Jan-Ake Edvinsson visited Riga, Latvia to sign the
host contract with the Latvia 2006 organizers.“2006 is obviously a special year
with the Olympics in Turin and this complicates the scheduling of the national
leagues for the 2005-2006 season”, said Edvinsson. “After being approached
by some national member associations and their leagues with this concern, we
decided to set the dates for the world championship at the latest possible date.”“
A later starting date gives everyone some more time to regroup after the Olympic
experience and could also likely make it easier for the national associations to
nominate available players from the NHL to the championship”, said Edvinsson.
The latest date so far for an IIHF World Championship was in 1998 when the
tournament played in Switzerland was held May 1 – 17. The men’s Olympic
ice hockey tournament in Turin 2006 will be played February 15 – 26.
Upcoming IIHF World Championships: 2005 (April 30 – May 15) Austria
(Vienna and Innsbruck), 2006 Latvia (Riga), 2007 Russia (Moscow and
St. Petersburg), 2008 Canada (Quebec City and Halifax) and 2009 Switzerland.

From www.eurohockey.net

Work for IHWC 2006

2005-04-02T12:16:00.000+02:00

I have read online, that the firm, organizing the Ice Hockey Championship in Latvia, Biroja 2006, is recruiting voulanteers for work during the Championship. The people whom they really need are people with foreign language knowledge, people who have driving licenses and people who have experience in translating. I have contacted them, and I got their reply, that they will inform me as soon as they have chosen the position suitable for me.
I know that the budgeting is limited for the Championship, that's why the organizers really need additional voulantary help.It worked the same with Eurovision, and it worked just fine. So the professionals are giving the rookies a chance....
I am sure we gotta use it.
Yours
JK

Riga 2000 is a Champion of Latvia

2005-03-29T09:57:00.000+02:00

It is now known, that the team Riga 2000 has celebrated their victory of the Open Hockey Championship of Latvia. Since the ultimate victory is awarded after four won games, it was a long road for Riga 2000, though it did not seem difficult at all. The fourth game was won with the result
Riga 2000 vs Ogre 11 : 3
Several players from Riga 2000 are NHL players (S. Ozolins) and the players of the National Team Latvia (Skrastinsh, Lavinsh and others).
By the time of 2006, some younger players will most likely be elected to play to defend the status of Latvian Team.

The Big Latvian Final

2005-03-24T12:43:00.000+01:00

This week Latvian hockey fans are following the most important game of the Open Latvian Championship 2005. On March 22 the first game of the Final Cup was won easily by Riga 2000, a team, that almost every year reaches the final stage of the Latvian Championship. Ogre team has one last chance to become number one, on March 24.
Game 1 - Riga 2000 - Ogre; 5-1
Today, on March 24, in a small Latvian town Ogre, which is located about 40 minutes away from the capital city Riga, the second big game will take place. For the ultimate victory, 4 winnings are needed for a team. Monday is a day when we will find out the name of the Champion of Latvia.
It will be translated on TV, updates on it will be reported on the radio, the online newspapers will follow the final game. This is how big hockey is in Latvia. Wherever you go, you hear about it, you see it. The team of Riga has as well organized free bus trips to Ogre sports hall, for all Riga 2000 hockey fans. Well, I guess they do need their support!
So, today 19 pm....Will Riga give Ogre a chance to knock down their success? Will Ogre be able to use this chance? I am watching that game for sure!!!

The Official Logo

2005-03-21T19:16:00.000+01:00

The official logo of the 2006 Ice Hockey Championship is not yet selected. However here you can see one of the variants that the Organizational Commitee have considered to be successful.

Photo from www.inspirationriga.com

This is the image that may represent the Hockey Championship 2006 all around the world. The colours of the logo: dark red and white are national colours of Latvia. The white stripes in between red ones associate with the national flag of the country. It is a simple logo, which is good, but also very similar to many hockey logos out there and doesn't stand out. It is really important that Latvia is seeking for variations and multiple ideas,that increases the chanses of final logo to be effective and well recognized.
Anyway, just the logo cannot not say all about the spirit of the Championship, how will Latvia represent it to us. Therefore I am impatiently waiting for updates on the final logo or any new design images. As soon as the first updates on the visual advertisements appear, you will be the first ones to see them online on my weblog!
Please, leave coments on what do you think of this logo in the comments section above or below the article!!!
Yours
JK

Austria 2005

2005-03-16T22:23:00.000+01:00

Good news! The championship of 2005 is coming in just 43 days! Austria will be hosting he next World Championship during April 30 till May 15. The hosting cities are Vienna and Innsbruck. They will welcome the best hockey players and their supporters. They will host the most important event in hockey of 2005. And the most important - they do have experience in hosting big sports events, like Olympic Games and other championships of winter sports.
In Austria, Latvian Team is in the Group B, with rivals in preliminary round like USA, Slovenia and Canada. The first game will be held on Saturday, April 30, at 16-15 CET. The game will be against the current world champions - Canada. Well, the fight is promising to be tough...However there is no need to be pessimistic.
In spite of being obviously less succesful in fight for medals in the World Championship than Canada, Latvian Team is really good at making pleasant surprises for its fans! So, all we can hope for is that Team Latvia must play its best hockey. That is, clearly known, a good professional, strategic hockey, like it was against Belarus some weeks ago, when deciding who will go to the Olympic Games in Torino. Latvia has a team, that is worth being fan of...it does give good hopes for a success in 2005!
Hope you all will support the Team during this important and exciting event of 2005 in Austria!!!
Yours
JK

Accomodation in Riga

2005-03-15T20:20:00.000+01:00

Riga has plenty of hotels of all ranges. Any visitor would be able to find a place for a stay in a hotel that he can afford. Riga has hotels in the centre, the ones for a higher price are located in the Old Riga, but there also is a large hotel Latvija, that is located downtown and is relatively cheap. Riga has several big so called "sleeping districts". There, you may find really nice and cosy hotels for a small price. Most of those districts are about 20 minutes from the centre and you can easily get there by taxi or public transport. Certainly, winter time in Riga is not very warm. The temperature gets to -15 or -20 C. Which is a shame, because you are missing out the lovely Latvian beach and warm sands. But hey! You also might wanna visit the beach in winter, it is located just 30 minutes away from Riga. If you like the sea in winter time, you should stay in the hotels by the beach! They as well are less expencive in winter.
That all depends on the kind of person you are.
Most hotels downtown have night clubs and bars next to them, and that makes the stay more fun. Some new laws say that casinos will be banned from the city centre, but honestly that is quite hard to believe....
Sure most hotels in Riga accept pets and large group reservations. There are fitness centres and swimming pools in the hotels, lounges and game rooms. By staying in Riga you as well get to try the original cuisine from two nations: Latvian and Russian.
If you would like to check on the hotels of Riga online, see the Links section and check out some hotel links I have added!
Yours
JK

Active marketing work

2005-03-14T21:29:00.000+01:00

As the year 2006 approaches, the work on the Ice Hockey Championship organization is being done more actively. I have included an interview of Vit Savicki , the marketing specialist of the Bureau, that takes care of organizing the event in 2006. Here, you may read my translated version, but if you can read Latvian, just click on the title and you will get access to the original website!
Photo by www. saraujlatvia.lv

Interview by M. Lacis, december 2004. from www. hockey.lv
Q. It is a very actual topic again- the question about the logo of the Championship. One winner has already been announced, but again new logos have appeared. Why is it so?

A. We understood, that old logo really doesn't reflect the whole championship concept.The design was hard for making the souvenirs from them too. So the new logos are now sent to International Federation, it will be analysed and they will give us their judgement upon it. It will be really soon.
We engaged an artist in the making of the logo,we also saw some logos for 2012 sports competitions and we have a logo with a very different style than those.

Q. The final logo design will be chosen by the hockey federation, won't it?

A. Actually, we will be working on it together. We will take into consideration their opinion.

Q.What projects are now most important?

A. Well we have lots of work to do. In February we assume to open the official website. There is also a thought to start contests for the fans already. Certainly, we are working on the creation of the talisman. It's not a secret, that it will be a beaver.
We have to start on thinking about online ticket selling. We have some questions about advertisement placing, and sponsorship. We have lots of ideas and solutions, however they are not ultimately approved, that is why I can't speak about them. We have thought about working with fans. It is they, who earned this Champioship for us!
Certainly we have things that are secret. We are not going to tell everything.There will be surprises.

Q. Is the budget for the championship known?

A. Not yet, we have to decide on it too.

Q. Is the situation now clear with the hotels?

A. Yes. We have signed contracts with biggest Riga hotels. It is known where will the participants be placed, referees and representatives of the Federation. We also signed a deal with Nordeka, so that we will provide transportation for the team players. We have a sponsorship deal with SKODA, so we also will have 50 cars for the event.

Q. How many people are working on it?

A. We are eight. Each has his own functions. You probably know mr. Ulmanis
(ex -president of Latvia), Kirovs Lipmans also works on the project. Closer to the Championship, the number of the staff wil certainly increase.

Thank you !

Where will it take place?

2005-03-13T16:46:00.000+01:00

Photo from www.arenariga.com

As I have mentioned, the IHWC 2006 will take place in two major hockey halls of Riga, Latvian capital city. They are: Skonto, the already existing sports hall, and Riga Arena. The newly built arena was designed from a Canadian project, by one of the bigest construction companies in Latvia - sia MERKS. It is supposed to be finished by February 2006, just several months before the Championship starts. The hall is going to be modern and multifunctional. Since so much money was spent on it ( 20 mln Lats), it has to be paid off. Trade shows and exibitions will take place in the Riga Arena, as well, but the primary purpose crtainly is hockey and the World Championship 2006 in particular.
Apart from being frsh new, there are other advantages the arena has. It is situated right in the downtown Riga, it is easy to get there by car or public transport, the arena is well equipped for handicapped people as well and it will have numerous pubs and cafes inside too.
Guests will feel very welcomed!!!
For information on the Arena, visit the link www.arenariga.com
Information is available on three languages: English, Latvian and Russian
If you are interested as well in other hockey halls of Latvia, please check the Links on the right.
Yours
JK

Latvia, the Land of Beauty

2005-03-10T10:41:00.000+01:00

Photo by www.photogallery.free.fr

Latvia is a country by the Baltic Sea, that is populated by 2.4 million people, mostly Latvians and Russians. Yes, it is quite a small country, the number of people living there is much less than in one London, or Chicago. However, this country has old traditions, delicious cuisine and a very rich architectual and historic heritage. Riga, the capital city is 804 years old, which is much older than most American cities, and therefore has a large number of tourists who visit it in order to enjoy its unique atmosphere.
Riga is a developed city, with art museums and an opera house, with theatres and numerous old churches. It is wonderful to find out, that Riga has also an old part, that now is considered to be the centre of Riga, that is preserved almost in the same way it looked several centuries ago. Old Riga is the place that most of the tourists visit.
Latvians are a very friendly nation. They do not smile as much, though they love entertainment. All over the country there is hundreds of restaurants and bars,bowling halls, casinos...you name it, they got it!!!
Overall, the country is quite plain in regard of the landscape. It doesn't have mountains or very deep valleys. However it does have a very beautiful landscape of its own. It is a country by the sea, it has numerous resort places, that were ones of the most prestigeous ones during the Soviet times and still are very popular.
Baltic sea has a great beach at summer!The sand is the one you may never feel or see anywhere, not in Greece, not in Hawaii.
Latvia is not a cold country,like most Nordic ones. However the similarity of it with Finland oe Sweden is in dominating sports. Biathlon, skiing, ice hockey are all very popular in Latvia.
It is a nice place to visit. It is not a very expencive place to go, it is a safe place and it is a beautiful one during each season. Discovering Latvia over the Internet or press is interesting, however you must visit the place to feel the real Latvian spirit. Because only by doing so you will see the biggest beauty of Latvia- its beautiful people.

The 2004 Performance in Pictures

2005-03-09T16:17:00.000+01:00

You are welcome to see the pictures of Latvian National Team in action, on 2004 World Championship in Chezch Republic!

Photos from www.iihf.com

Easy search

2005-03-07T11:14:00.000+01:00

Ice Arena

2005-03-01T19:40:00.000+01:00

The number of Ice Arenas for the World Championship 2006 should be at least two. Skonto Halle, the arena, previously serving to Eurovision Contest 2003, will be reconstructed into a hockey hall. The other, major arena in Riga is now being built in Riga downtown. The process of building the arena may be observed online from the website www.hockey.lv
Feel free to visit and follow the process!
Yours
JK

Riga on Ice

2005-02-18T14:01:00.000+01:00

It has been a subject of public discourse for several months:" Will we make it? Will we host the Championship in 2006 or Latvia has to give up the chance to Sweden?"
We made it, sucessfully.
Latvia will proudly host a big international sports event in just one year. The arenas are being built, some are boing rennovated, the staff is being hired and the preparation already is at its peak.
Riga, the capital of Latvia will accept all the participants and visitors, however there are more ice arenas around the country.
"It will be the first time that Latvia will host the IIHF’s flagship event and it will have the honour to host the 70th IIHF World Championship in Riga, a city of 800,000 inhabitants whose history dates back to 1201. The main venue will be a 12,000 seat multi-functional arena planned to be ready in February 2006. The second arena will be in the Riga municipality of Skonto, where an already existing event venue will be reconstructed to be a hockey arena for 6,000 spectators. "
from www.eurohockey.net
Why Latvia?
Latvia may not be a the most progressive country in Europe, however it is rapidly developing
economically. Plenty of accomodation places for all budgets, restaurants, pubs and night clubs attract tourists from all over the world.In 2004 Latvia has accepted 3 million 33 thousand tourists.
Latvia is a country with passionate sports fans. During the Championship in Germany, a couple of years ago, Latvian fans were represented more than any other nation on the event. They are widely known for being one of the most supportive ice hockey nation in Europe.
Latvian hockey has very rich history and numerous great wins.
The National Latvian Team has many NHL players, such as Sandis Ozolins and Arturs Irbe, who have recognition among best players in North America. The team also has made several astonishing victories to Russian Federation, Finland, Norway and USA, with the help of Swedish coaching, good old Soviet hockey school base, and support of fans.
After the EU accession sports industry in Latvia has started to develop more quickly and we will be able to see how good can it be next year during the International Ice Hockey
Championship 2006 in Riga.
The countdown is on.

Welcome Everyone!

2005-02-17T22:12:00.000+01:00

Hello and nice to see you at my weblog!
I am Julia, a student of Concordia University in Tallinn. Most importantly, I am a huge hockey fan!
This site is dedicated to the International Ice Hockey Championship 2006 that will take place in Riga, Latvia. News and updates on the process of organization of the event, Latvian National Team news, interesting links to sites about Latvia, accomodation and entertainment in Riga: all that and more will be available to you on this weblog!!!
We are excited to have the 2006 Hockey Championship in Latvia and hope to spread the feeling over to all of you!
Yours,
JK