On September 15, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev met with President of the International Ice Hockey Federation Luc Tardif. The interlocutors discussed the prospects for promoting and popularising ice hockey and staging major international tournaments in Kazakhstan, the press office of the President of Kazakhstan reported to CentralAsia.news.
Tokayev informed his interlocutor about the achievements of Kazakh ice hockey and measures taken to promote sports in the Republic. He stressed that the popularity of hockey is growing in Kazakhstan, and the number of children’s and youth hockey schools and youth teams is increasing. At present, over 14,000 people play ice hockey.
The interlocutors focused on the capacities of sports infrastructure. In this regard, the President said Kazakhstan is ready to host the Ice Hockey World Championships in 2027 if its bid wins vote at the ceremony scheduled for May 2023.
The Kazakh leader also noted that the IIHF has never held a top-level championships in the Asian region.
