The opening face-off of the Ostrava 2019 World Para Ice Hockey Championships commenced in the Ostravar Arena exactly two years ago. The legacy of the championships, which has entered sports history, lives on to this day. It, among other things, also initiated a generational change of the Czech para ice hockey team. At the same time, some newcomers are going to be able to introduce themselves as members of the national team in two months once again at the world championships in Ostrava.
Record breaking
Eight of the world’s best teams, including the Czech para ice hockey team. Emotional stories, a unified organizing team, and a repeatedly sold-out Ostravar Arena. At the end of April 2019, Ostrava experienced para ice hockey madness. “We have had to overcome a number of obstacles on the way to our so-called success. One of them was renaming sledge hockey to para ice hockey, which meant we had to acquaint the public with what para ice hockey is, show them the para ice hockey sport and make them feel like they want to see it with their own eyes, ” Jiří Šindler, the chairman of the organizing teamrecalls the tournament in the Para Ostrava 2019 REWRITE HISTORY document. The fact that para ice hockey matches have never been seen live by more spectators than in Ostrava confirms that this goal has been achieved. Forty-five thousand people watched the tournament in the arena and others cheered on in front of TV screens all around the world. The match between the Czech national team and team USA was broadcast live overseas during NHL matches. It even appeared in a compilation of NBC TV’s TOP10 events in the USA. Online streams from Ostrava were run in 131 countries around the world. “It was a unique atmosphere that was really different. We realized that people came for the values, mutual values of inspiration, and symbiosis that we gave each other. Both players and I don’t just mean the Czech team, I mean all athletes, as well as those spectators who came to support the boys, ” the head coach of the Czech para ice hockey team, Jiří Bříza, recalls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vTwtdhwOTIPara ice hockey – relive the moment!
The para hockey ice championships has become an unforgettable tournament for many fans. It even changed someone’s life, literally. This intense and progressive sport has become a new beginning for several physically impaired people. Since 2019, new, promising players, who learned about para ice hockey thanks to the Ostrava championships have been training with the team led by head coach Jiří Bříza. For example, Václav Hečko, Radek Zelinka, or Alex Ohar are fighting for a place in the line-up. And some are already going to introduce themselves in the national hockey jersey at the Ostrava 2021 World Para Ice Hockey Championships. We believe that will RELIVE THE MOMENT and support the para ice hockey players at the tournament, which is also a qualification for the Beijing 2022, all together again.
The Ostrava 2021 World Para Ice Hockey Championships takes place with the financial support of the Statutory City of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian region
