During the IIHF congress all the member countries decided to assign Germany and France to organize the 2017 World Championships in Cologne (Germany) and Paris (France). The Danish application came short only a minimum number of votes. Good news for our hockey fans, as the IIHF will bring the top level ice hockey teams within a very close distance from Belgium.
Cologne as the main venue will host one preliminary-round group, two quarter-final games, the semi-finals and medal games. The arena is in the city centre and linked to the old town and the station by train and subway.
In France, games will be played in the most famous indoor sports venue of the country, the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in downtown Paris with a Metro station next door.
Both arenas were already operated with two ice rinks. The Bercy arena has a small ice rink that is operated permanently and will be used as practice rink while the Lanxess Arena has a second rink next door making it easy for the teams logistically.
For Germany it will be the eighth World Championship on home ice while French fans haven’t seen the world tourney on their soil for a long time. France has hosted the event twice, in Chamonix 1930 and in Paris 1951 in addition to three Olympic Winter Games (1924, 1968 1992) and recent events in lower divisions.
Next year the World Championships will be played in Minsk (Belarus) followed by Czech Republic in 2015 and Russia in 2016.