The world association IIHF decided on Tuesday afternoon to award the 2021 World Cup tournament to Riga/Latvia as the sole host. Riga was already planned as a venue for the German national team in Group B. In the DEB-Interview, President Franz Reindl explains the decision and also looks at the status of the women's World Cup and the men's U18 World Cup.
Why was the decision ultimately made for Latvia alone and against a tournament with a second host?
DEB-President Franz Reindl: “No one can predict the developments in the pandemic and that is why it was important that the world association IIHF decide now: Do you go to one country or two? The decision was made for one country, Latvia, and with Riga as the location, where all the preparations are already underway. So first the decision was: one country - and then Riga, because the city is already the venue and because it can also meet the pandemic requirements and regulations, especially for all 16 participating nations and their players. Ultimately, according to the evaluation results, despite all the efforts made by Slovakia and Denmark, no other decision was possible.”
What can you currently say about the organizational framework?
Reindl: “The technical requirements are met, first through the large arena and then through the neighboring Olympic Center, a large sports complex that has a large indoor hall. A permanent ice surface can be installed and the ice hockey-specific infrastructure can also be integrated. It would also be possible to take 16 teams to a hotel and organize a huge bubble. No matter how the situation develops, you can separate the teams and athletes and also separate them from the spectators, if there are any at all. You can also adopt the existing schedule, play in two halls in Riga and stick to the date from May 21st to June 6th, which has already been pushed back two weeks.”
What open questions are there currently? What can be said about the phase before the World Cup, travel issues and similar organizational tasks?
Reindl: “The most important thing is that the organizer is now given the opportunity to initiate appropriate preparations. Time is of the essence. The other things, such as the technical details mentioned, the preparation phases, whether we might play games in Latvia, we now have to work through that and see how it develops. That is the next challenge. But the most important decision is knowing where you’re going and then you can get everything else started now.”
What does today's decision mean for our German team and the organization of the World Cup preparations?
Reindl: “As far as the World Cup is concerned, nothing will change for our team. Venue, preliminary round, opponents, schedule, everything remains. What is still uncertain is the preparation time, also in consultation with the leagues. We all still have tasks to do and we want to solve this challenge together.”
Is there any new information about the Women's World Cup and the Men's U18 World Cup? What is the current status there?
Reindl: "There are requests from the organizers and the wish is that they postpone and gain some time due to the pandemic. The Women's World Cup in Canada with the venues in Halifax and Truro is to be postponed by a few weeks to May and for the U18s the time period is also to be postponed by a few weeks and the venue in the USA is to be postponed due to the pandemic. That is the plan that still has to be specifically approved."