MINSK, 7 February (BelTA) - Sports fans took part in an online voting on the best idea for the mascot of the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship which will be co-hosted by Minsk and Riga in 2021. The Belarusian participants voted for May Beetle nicknamed Khrushch. The Latvian audience picked up Hedgehog, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation.
Dmitry Galinovsky is the author of the idea of the mascot which won the hearts of the Belarusian public. The concept of the mascot that gained the most votes among Latvian fans was developed by designer Janis Burmeister. The users' voting was held on the website of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation and on its official page in vKontakte running from 15 January to 5 February.
More than 100 applications were received from representatives of Belarus and Latvia. Designs were submitted by both professional artists and hockey fans. The shortlist included 30 works.
The winning design for the 2021 IIHF World Championship mascot will be named on 24 February.
The IIHF World Championship will be co-hosted by Belarus and Latvia on 7-23 May 2021. The decision on the hosts of the 2021 edition of the tournament was taken at the IIHF Congress in Cologne in 2017. The 2021 IIHF World Championship venues are Minsk Arena and Arena Riga.