Members of the panel from left to right: Peter Mertens (DEB President), Jildou Gemser (Coordinator ISU Development Commission), Viesturs Koziols (IIHF Council Member and Chairman of the IIHF Facilities Committee).
photo: © Jan-Philipp Burmann / City Press GmbH Bildagentur
The first joint sustainability conference of the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation), the ISU (International Skating Union), and the DEB (German Ice Hockey Federation) took place last week.
The Berlin event was an important step towards a more sustainable future for ice sports. It showed that collaboration between associations, experts and practitioners can be both a source of inspiration and a platform for change. At the beginning of 2024, the three associations agreed to organize the conference and intensified their collaboration.
The conference, which took place at the Saxon State Representation in the German capital, featured 12 expert presentations from around the world, covering all aspects of sustainability development in ice sports.
Over 100 guests registered for the conference. Each presentation ended with a panel discussion, and audience members were able to ask speakers questions. A dedicated chat channel was set up for this purpose, as well as for feedback on the conference.
Technical innovation and social responsibility
The conference was opened by Jildou Gemser (Coordinator ISU Development Commission), Viesturs Koziols (IIHF Council Member and Chairman of the IIHF Facilities Committee) and Dr. Peter Merten (President German Ice Hockey Federation) as hosts of the day and welcoming words by Conrad Clemens (Head of the State Chancellery of Saxony and Minister of State for Federal Affairs and Media).
The opening presentations focused on constructing and renovating arenas and ice rinks. In addition to architectural highlights and best practices, innovative approaches were spotlighted that make it possible to renovate old structures – even during ongoing ice sports operations. There were also interesting insights into the manufacturing process of artificial ice, including new methods, technical innovations and research to ensure more efficient use of ice surfaces.
Tampere offered impressive insights into municipal cooperation, demonstrating why the Finnish city that hosted the 2022 and 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships can call itself the “Home of Hockey.” Kalervo Kummola, the Mayor of Tampere and an IIHF Life Member, was a special guest speaker. Other presentations showed how new arena and rink concepts can be socially responsible. In the future, it will be important for operators and local authorities to work closely together to develop attractive and sustainable concepts, promoting both the public interest and ice sports.
In the final sessions, the focus returned to people as a decisive factor –both as decision-makers and developers, but also in their daily ice sports work. Training indoor staff was a key topic. The audience also learned how savings potential and efficiency increases can be achieved by training responsible personnel.
The Berlin event was an important step towards a more sustainable future for ice sports. It showed that collaboration between associations, experts and practitioners can be both a source of inspiration and a platform for change. At the beginning of 2024, the three associations agreed to organize the conference and intensified their collaboration.
The conference, which took place at the Saxon State Representation in the German capital, featured 12 expert presentations from around the world, covering all aspects of sustainability development in ice sports.
Over 100 guests registered for the conference. Each presentation ended with a panel discussion, and audience members were able to ask speakers questions. A dedicated chat channel was set up for this purpose, as well as for feedback on the conference.
Technical innovation and social responsibility
The conference was opened by Jildou Gemser (Coordinator ISU Development Commission), Viesturs Koziols (IIHF Council Member and Chairman of the IIHF Facilities Committee) and Dr. Peter Merten (President German Ice Hockey Federation) as hosts of the day and welcoming words by Conrad Clemens (Head of the State Chancellery of Saxony and Minister of State for Federal Affairs and Media).
The opening presentations focused on constructing and renovating arenas and ice rinks. In addition to architectural highlights and best practices, innovative approaches were spotlighted that make it possible to renovate old structures – even during ongoing ice sports operations. There were also interesting insights into the manufacturing process of artificial ice, including new methods, technical innovations and research to ensure more efficient use of ice surfaces.
Tampere offered impressive insights into municipal cooperation, demonstrating why the Finnish city that hosted the 2022 and 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships can call itself the “Home of Hockey.” Kalervo Kummola, the Mayor of Tampere and an IIHF Life Member, was a special guest speaker. Other presentations showed how new arena and rink concepts can be socially responsible. In the future, it will be important for operators and local authorities to work closely together to develop attractive and sustainable concepts, promoting both the public interest and ice sports.
In the final sessions, the focus returned to people as a decisive factor –both as decision-makers and developers, but also in their daily ice sports work. Training indoor staff was a key topic. The audience also learned how savings potential and efficiency increases can be achieved by training responsible personnel.
Viesturs Koziols (IIHF Council Member and Chairman of the IIHF Facilities Committee) opened the conference sharing a few words with the audience.
photo: © Jan-Philipp Burmann / City Press GmbH Bildagentur
Further cooperation planned
The importance of international cooperation was a recurring theme. All present agreed that no single club, arena operator or sports organization can lead the fight against climate change alone.The IIHF, ISU and DEB will therefore continue to promote the transfer of knowledge among themselves in order to actively support those who face the daily challenges of making ice sports more sustainable. In this respect, the first joint event of the three federations was a success and a prelude to intensive cooperation toward future sustainability in ice sports.
Here is the list of speakers and topics:
1. Chris O’Reilly (Canada), Partner at Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects: “BBB Worldwide Experience in Building Ice Rinks and Latest Trends in Renovated Arenas (Sustainable Approach) and Carbon Zero Projects”
2. Simon Schlenker (Germany), Schlenker Architekten, and Yannick Friess (Germany), caldoa GmbH: “CO2 Neutral Ice Power Plant”
3. Pieter Clausing (Netherlands), Project Leader Sustainable Ice Rinks, and Policy Advisor to the Dutch Skating Union): “Sustainability of Ice Rinks in the Netherlands”
4. Menno Demmenie (Netherlands), Ph.D candidate WZI/HIMS University of Amsterdam at the intersection of physics and chemistry: “Why Is Ice Slippery?”
5. Beert Boomsma (Netherlands), B2 Adv-ice, and Nando Klein (Netherlands), Supro Cooling: “Case Study: Modern Approach to Sustainable Solutions for Ice Making”
6. Kalervo Kummola (Finland), Mayor of the City of Tampere in Finland and former President of the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation: “Tampere: City of the Best Environment for Ice Arenas and Rinks”
7. Anne-Cécile Turner (Switzerland), Partner at BloomUP – IIHF and ISU Consultancy Agency: “A Holistic Approach to Sustainability for Ice Rinks”
8. Dr. Eckehard “Fozzy” Moritz (Germany), Innovationsmanufaktur: “From Insight to Action: A Sustainable Future on Ice”
9. Allen Wei (China), Chief Engineer at Airhouse: “Assembly and Benefits from Direct Expansion Ice-Making System”
10. Mark Messer (Canada), Director of The Olympic Oval of the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary: ”Always Moving Forward: Small Steps towards a Better Future”
11. Mika Sulin (Finland) and Oona Haimi (Finland), both City of Tampere:“Tampere – Home of Hockey”
12. Jeff Theiler (USA), COO of the U.S. Ice Rinks Association: “Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation Through Operational Best Practices in the USA."