IIHF General Secretary Horst Lichtner, IIHF President René Fasel and IIHF Communications Manager Adam Steiss were at a TV studio for the 2020 IIHF Extra-Ordinary Congress that was held online.
photo: Irina Ebner
In place of the cancelled 2020 IIHF Annual Congress that was planned in May in Zurich, the 2021 IIHF Extra-Annual Congress took place on Monday in a virtual form led by IIHF President René Fasel and IIHF General Secretary who took their seats at the studio of Swiss broadcaster SRF in Zurich.
The Congress accepted the proposal to move the dates of the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship by two weeks due to the delayed start of the upcoming season in many leagues. Find out more about the tournament on the newly launched website 2021.iihfworlds.com, which is also available in Russian and Latvian language.
The Congress approved the entire 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship program with 23 tournaments as well as the Olympic Qualification for men and women. Find out more here.
The 2020 IIHF Extra-Ordinary Congress cancelled the physical 2020 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in St. Petersburg where Council elections would have been held. Since a physical congress won’t be possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress followed the proposal to extend the mandate of the current Council until 2021. The elections of the Council will be planned for the 2021 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in autumn 2021.
To avoid having the elections after that just a few months before the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the mandate of the next Council will also be extended to five years and go from 2021 to 2026. After 2026 the Council terms will return to a length of four years. The same applies to Auditors, Committees, the Disciplinary Board and Appeal Board.
The IIHF Statutes & Bylaws were adjusted to reflect the new situation including the years, lengths and age limits.
The Congress also approved membership status upgrades. Malaysia and the Philippines are now Full Members. Both countries have grown their hockey programs to be eligible to play in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship program, which they would have done during spring if not for the event cancellations.
The Congress accepted the proposal to move the dates of the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship by two weeks due to the delayed start of the upcoming season in many leagues. Find out more about the tournament on the newly launched website 2021.iihfworlds.com, which is also available in Russian and Latvian language.
The Congress approved the entire 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship program with 23 tournaments as well as the Olympic Qualification for men and women. Find out more here.
The 2020 IIHF Extra-Ordinary Congress cancelled the physical 2020 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in St. Petersburg where Council elections would have been held. Since a physical congress won’t be possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress followed the proposal to extend the mandate of the current Council until 2021. The elections of the Council will be planned for the 2021 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in autumn 2021.
To avoid having the elections after that just a few months before the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the mandate of the next Council will also be extended to five years and go from 2021 to 2026. After 2026 the Council terms will return to a length of four years. The same applies to Auditors, Committees, the Disciplinary Board and Appeal Board.
The IIHF Statutes & Bylaws were adjusted to reflect the new situation including the years, lengths and age limits.
The Congress also approved membership status upgrades. Malaysia and the Philippines are now Full Members. Both countries have grown their hockey programs to be eligible to play in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship program, which they would have done during spring if not for the event cancellations.