One-and-a-half years after hosting the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, international ice hockey will be back in China when the country hosts the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group A in Shenzhen.
photo: Michal Chwieduk
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has announced the dates and schedule of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group A.
Originally planned in spring, the tournament was postponed on 4 March due to concerns regarding complications related to COVID-19. The Chinese Ice Hockey Association as the host organizer and the teams worked together to find new dates to accommodate all stakeholders. The tournament will take place in Shenzhen from 20 to 26 August 2023.
Denmark, Norway, Slovakia, Austria, China, and the Netherlands will participate in the tournament, aiming for gold and a chance for promotion to the top level.
The postponement of the tournament will give all stakeholders more time to prepare and therefore ensure the safety and health of all participants.
The tournament will open with the Netherlands facing Denmark at 13:00 followed by Austria vs. Norway at 16:30 local time. The opening game of host China will be at 20:00 against Slovakia.
For recently promoted China and Denmark, which were relegated from the top division, it will be a reunion after meeting at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Norway, Slovakia, Austria, and the Netherlands played at the Division IA already last year.
The teams will play a single-round-robin tournament on five game days with the last games to be played on 26 August.
The games will be played at the 18,000-seat Shenzhen Universiade Centre that hosted the 2011 Universiade, an NHL game (images below) as well as games of the KRS Vanke Rays in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and Russia’s Women’s Hockey League.
Originally planned in spring, the tournament was postponed on 4 March due to concerns regarding complications related to COVID-19. The Chinese Ice Hockey Association as the host organizer and the teams worked together to find new dates to accommodate all stakeholders. The tournament will take place in Shenzhen from 20 to 26 August 2023.
Denmark, Norway, Slovakia, Austria, China, and the Netherlands will participate in the tournament, aiming for gold and a chance for promotion to the top level.
The postponement of the tournament will give all stakeholders more time to prepare and therefore ensure the safety and health of all participants.
The tournament will open with the Netherlands facing Denmark at 13:00 followed by Austria vs. Norway at 16:30 local time. The opening game of host China will be at 20:00 against Slovakia.
For recently promoted China and Denmark, which were relegated from the top division, it will be a reunion after meeting at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Norway, Slovakia, Austria, and the Netherlands played at the Division IA already last year.
The teams will play a single-round-robin tournament on five game days with the last games to be played on 26 August.
The games will be played at the 18,000-seat Shenzhen Universiade Centre that hosted the 2011 Universiade, an NHL game (images below) as well as games of the KRS Vanke Rays in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and Russia’s Women’s Hockey League.