Fans Return at Ice Hockey Championship in Latvia

(ATR) The Ice Hockey World Championship enters the homestretch with fans now permitted at the two venues in the Latvian capital of Riga.

Elimination round contests begin on Thursday in a tournament that has been unpredictable both on and off the ice.

Some 2,660 enthusiastic fans, just over 25 percent capacity at Arena Riga, couldn’t help boost Latvia to victory in the final preliminary round contest versus Germany. The host country was eliminated as Germany advanced to the playoff round with a 2-1 win.

Tickets for six preliminary round games and the upcoming eight elimination round contests only went on sale online June 1. Following a recent government decision, residents of Latvia who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 are required to show proof through an online certification system in order to obtain tickets.

While 2,600 plus spectators are allowed in Arena Riga moving forward, just over 1,000 are permitted in the adjacent Olympic Sports Centre, a venue that was swiftly transformed for ice hockey in the final three months before the championship.

Latvia is hosting the IIHF signature tournament for the second time, the first in 2006. For a considerable time, it remained uncertain if Latvia would be the lone host, a co-host, or perhaps neither. Riga was declared as the sole host after Belarus was stripped of co-hosting rights due to the country’s political unrest and the uncertainty of ensuring the safety of the tournament. The final decision to have one country host all games at two venues was reached with only 106 days until the tournament’s opening.

Riga 2021 organizing head Edgar Buncis says the necessity for the Latvian organizing committee to demonstrate complete flexibility in the lead-up to the championships has been critical to the event’s success.

"So much has happened since March last year – with COVID, with the situation in Belarus, with becoming the lone host city of the championship – and we’re not done with the challenges yet," Buncis told IIHF.com.

However, Buncis said fans in the stands will positively impact the energy of the event moving forward.

"The players know there is a big audience watching on television, but the presence of fans inside the building is different," said the Latvian sports leader, who has been involved with the tournament since the bidding phase.

"We are very satisfied and grateful to the Latvian government, which despite the complicated situation has given our passionate fans the opportunity to attend the remaining championship games."

While there are now limited fans in the arenas, numerous other COVID-19 safety protocols have significantly changed the two-week showcase tournament as never before.

All participants – players, team and game officials, tournament staff and media – are divided into bubbles, with varying access to different areas to limit interaction. Frequent tests are carried out at regular intervals.

Media has restricted access to players, with video interviews conducted by the host broadcaster inside the bubble with the teams, in lieu of the traditional mixed zone procedure.

All parties are required to wear masks at all times while inside the arenas, the only exception being players and referees while on the ice.

The gold medal contest is scheduled for Sunday, June 6, preceded by the bronze medal match on Saturday evening, June 5.

Russia, competing as Team ROC under the flag of the Russian National Olympic Committee as opposed to its national flag due to the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling in effect until Dec. 2022, and the United States are the top seeds heading into Thursday’s quarterfinals. Both teams won their respective groups with 6-1 records.

Perennial favorite Canada narrowly squeaked into playoffs based upon the Germany and Latvia outcome. The 2017 and 2018 champions Sweden was knocked out following a shoot-out defeat to Team ROC.

The annual tournament is being staged for the first time since 2019 as the 2020 edition, scheduled for Switzerland, was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Finland is the defending world champion having won the 2019 tournament in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Scandinavian hockey powerhouse finished second in Group B, behind the U.S., and will face-off against the Czech Republic in a quarterfinal game on Thursday.

Belarusian Flag Controversy

Latvia showed its support for the Belarusian opposition by removing the country’s state flag from a display in Riga one day after Alexander Lukashenko forced a commercial airliner to land in Minsk to detain a journalist.

One international journalist covering the championships says that Riga mayor Martins Stakis’ decision to fly historical red and white flags in the Latvian capital replacing the state flags was a highly popular decision, although it created a dispute with the IIHF.

"Everybody loves the guy now," the journalist told Around the Rings.

The IIHF denounced the move calling it a "political message" while immediately urging the mayor to either remove the Belarusian opposition flag or take down the IIHF and world championship flags from the display with flags from other nations.

In a display of solidarity with the Belarusian opposition, Stakis chose to remove the flag of ice hockey's governing body, rather than the symbolic flag used by opponents of Belarusian president Lukashenko.

In response, Belarus expelled all Latvian diplomats and demanded an apology.

"We have to pick sides - people striving for freedom or a dictator," Riga Mayor Stakis wrote on Twitter.

Homepage photo: IIHF

Written and reported by Brian Pinelli

For general comments or questions,click here.

Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.