The Hungarian Ice Hockey Association would like to organize the men’s Olympic qualifier in February.
| After this year’s elite World Cup, next year’s domestic Olympic qualifier on the horizon? (Photo: Getty Images) |
The national team – which finished in 15th place and thus bid farewell to the current World Championship in Tampere-Riga – is already interested in the first round of the five-ring qualification based on its world ranking, but at the same time it is in the highest place among those involved, so it can host. The winner of the four-team tournament will advance to the second round, and from there it will be possible to qualify for the 2026 Olympics in Milan.
Levente Sipos, the general secretary of the MJSZ, who participated in the general meeting of the international confederation (IIHF) in Tampere on Friday, told MTI that if the Hungarian national team is indeed ranked in the highest place in the qualifying group and thus automatically becomes the host, then they intend to organize the quadruple in February gymnastics. For now, Japan and Lithuania are considered opponents.
Levente Sipos added that, in addition to the usual and well-known venues, the Alba Arena in Székesfehérvár, which is planned to be completed by the end of the year and will be able to accommodate six thousand spectators, may seem logical.
The women’s five-hoop qualifiers have not yet been decided, because the Division I/As tournament will not be held until August in Shenzhen, China. If the Chinese national team does not make it to the top, then the 2024 Division I/A World Cup will also be hosted by China, and the Hungarian women’s national team, which left the top this year, will have to travel there. In the case of Chinese promotion, there is no designated location for Division I/A yet.
However, the women’s team will only be interested in the last round of the Olympic qualifiers, in 2025, based on their world ranking.
This year, the men’s U20 Hungarian national team is on December 10-16. between can play in the division I/As tournament in Budapest.
It was previously decided that the adult men’s national team will take to the ice at the Bolzano Division I/A World Cup between April 28 and May 4, 2024. against the Romanian team.
Knowing the date of the tournament, the MJSZ is conducting negotiations with the Canadian association, with which a two-year agreement is in effect for the training camp in Budapest in May and the playing of preparatory matches between each other.
The Germans defeated the Kazakhs 102-34 in the voting for the venue of the elite World Cup in 2027, so the tournament due in four years will be hosted by Mannheim and Düsseldorf. Prague and Ostrava will host the 2024 World Cup, Stockholm and Herning in Denmark for 2025, and Zurich and Friborg for 2026.
