MINSK, 3 January (BelTA) – The 15th Christmas Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament for the prize of the President of Belarus kicks off on 3 January with a match between the teams of Slovakia and Switzerland, BelTA has learned.
The event will take place at the multifunctional cultural, sports and entertainment facility Chizhovka Arena. The teams of Switzerland and Slovakia will meet on the small ice rink at 12.30. Team Slovakia will feature former forward of HC Dinamo Minsk Jozef Stumpel. The UAE will face the Balkans on the big ice rink at 13.00.
The first day of the tournament will continue with a solemn opening ceremony at 17.30 and a match between the teams of Finland and Germany at 18.30. The Belarus president team will play against a team of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on the big ice rink at 19.00.
The Belarusian team will test their mettle against renowned players with NHL experience from Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Ukraine and representatives of the countries that supported Belarus and Latvia in their aspiration to host the 2021 IIHF World Championship.
Team Russia - a three-time champion of the Christmas Tournament – will be represented by the Stroigazmontazh team. The team features ice hockey veterans who used to play in the KHL, NHL and the Higher League.
When the Belarusian president opened the tournament last year he said that the country had developed a good tradition to start a new sports year with the Christmas Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament. This tournament is meant to celebrate spots and a competitive spirit. However, its most important mission is to preserve the best traditions and continuity of generations. Belarusian athletes owe their achievements at international sports events to a solid foundation of children's and junior sports and mass sports in Belarus. “Our tournament is no exception”, Alexander Lukashenko said.
The head of state noted that the Christmas Tournament was held simultaneously with the national junior ice hockey competition Golden Puck. This gave aspiring hockey players an opportunity to show their worth and bring their skillsets to the table and to see experienced and renowned athletes at play.
The president said that the participants of the Christmas Tournament helped Belarus get the right to co-host the 2021 IIHF World Championship.
Tournament history
The Christmas Tournament debuted in 2005. The matches were held in two venues – the Palace of Sports and the Ice Palace on Pritytskogo Street – on 6-9 January.
Taking part in the competition were ice hockey players from Belarus, Austria, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Back then the ice hockey team of the Belarus president defeated its rivals from Russia (11: 5) in the final. The bronze went to the Czech Republic. At the closing ceremony Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was awarded by the International Ice Hockey Federation for a great contribution to the promotion of this sport.
In 2016 all the matches were held on the ice rinks of the Chizhovka Arena sports complex. Ice hockey fans got an opportunity to watch matches virtually non-stop moving from one ice rink to another during the day.
The Belarus president team has won the Christmas Tournament 11 times (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018). Team Russia is a three-time champion (2007, 2011 and 2015).
During the tournament, the President's Sports Club and the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation will take part in the Christmas Tradition charity event. It was first held in 2013. Since that time, charity support has been provided to seven children's facilities of Minsk, a foster family from Minsk District, Minsk Orphanage No. 5, Children's Town of Leninsky District of Minsk, Istoki children's village, Radoshkovichi boarding school for orphanages and parentless children, Molodechno Boarding School No. 2 for children with visual impairments.
On 5 January representatives of the teams will take part in a charity event and will visit Orphanage No.7 in Minsk. The event has been organized by the President's Sports Club and the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation.
Matches of the Christmas Tournament draw a great number of ice hockey fans. Entrance is always free.
The organizers of the event are the President's Sports Club, the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation, the Sports and Tourism Ministry, the Minsk City Hall.
