MONTREAL – The qualification groups for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, were announced at the IIHF’s General Congress in Montreal.

In total, 24 nations will battle for the three remaining spots at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The top-nine teams of the 2008 IIHF World Ranking are already qualified. Germany, Latvia and Norway as the nations ranked 10th to 12th will host the final qualification tournaments in February 2009.

For the women’s tournament in Vancouver, the best six nations of the 2008 IIHF Women’s World Ranking are already qualified. Two spots are open for 15 applicants, who will play the qualification games.

Olympics, Men:

Olympic ice hockey tournament in Vancouver, Canada, February 16-28, 2010:
Group A: Canada, United States, Switzerland, Qualifier 3.
Group B: Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Qualifier 2.
Group C: Sweden, Finland, Belarus, Qualifier 1.

Final Olympic Qualification, February 5-8, 2009:
Group E: Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Qualifier. Host: Germany
Group F: Latvia, Italy, Ukraine, Qualifier. Host: Latvia. The venue is expected to be Riga.
Group G: Norway, Denmark, France, Qualifier. Host: Norway

Olympic Pre-Qualification, November 6-9, 2008:
Group B: Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Estonia, Qualifier. Host: TBA
Group C: Hungary, Lithuania, Croatia, Serbia. Host: Hungary
Group D: Poland, Japan, Romania, Great Britain. Host: Poland

Pre-Qualification, October 3-5, 2008:
Group A: Bulgaria, Spain, Mexico, Turkey. Host: Turkey

Olympics, Women:

Olympic ice hockey tournament in Vancouver, Canada, February 13-25, 2010:
Group A: Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Qualifier 2.
Group B: United States, Finland, Russia, Qualifier 1.

Final Olympic Qualification, November 6-9, 2008:
Group C: Germany, Kazakhstan, France, Qualifier. Host: Germany
Group D: China, Japan, Czech Republic, Qualifier. Host: China

Olympic Pre-Qualification, September 4-7, 2008:
Group A: Latvia, Italy, Slovakia, Croatia, Bulgaria. Host: Latvia
Group B: Norway, Slovenia, Austria, Great Britain. Host: Slovenia