ArmInfo. After a lengthy hiatus, Armenia will take part in the IV Division of the World Ice Hockey Championship, taking place from April 12 to 20, 2025. This was stated by Karen Giloyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MoESCS) of Armenia at a meeting with Hannes Ederer, Deputy General Secretary of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the head of the Tournament Department.
According to Vahram Sargsyan, President of the National Ice Hockey Federation, great efforts were made to secure Armenia's participation in the World Championship. "After a long hiatus, the Armenian national team returned to the international competition at the "Yerevan Nights" tournament, held in February this year. The tournament, hosted at the Yerevan sports complex "Gazprom-Armenia" with four participating teams, saw the Armenian national team achieve victory over the Russian teams "Olimp", "Sunny Bears" and "Rospressa". The team was recognized as the winner of the tournament," added Vahram Sargsyan.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the possibility of hosting the World Ice Hockey Championship in Armenia. Hannes Ederer arrived in our country for this purpose, to assess the sports infrastructure, hotel conditions and discuss organizational issues. He welcomed the return of the Armenian national team to the World Championship, noting that Armenia's experience in hosting the tournament is also highly valued.
However, the final decision on the venue for the World Championship will be made on September 26-27 at the Congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation in Greece. The championship will feature 15 matches involving teams from Armenia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan.