Hockey

Popularity

Ice hockey proudly stands as the most popular sports in the Republic of Belarus. The distinguished traditions of the Soviet school of ice hockey have been handed down from generation to generation and, together with significant innovations, are now successfully applied on the Belarusian ice.

Success

Belarus is a relatively new hockey nation in the sense that it joined the IIHF in 1992. Seventeen years of dynamic development have seen our national team advance to the top division, qualify for the Olympic Games on three occasions and currently rank at a respectful ninth place in the world. The most outstanding achievement of the men's national team so far is the semifinal stage at the Winter Olympics 2002 in Salt Lake City, USA. More and more Belarusian young talents are picked by NHL teams and go across the ocean to show their worth in the world's strongest hockey league.

Organizers

The International Ice Hockey Federation has never disregarded the potential of Belarus as a favorable site to host prestigious ice hockey events. In 2004 alone, two major ice hockey tournaments were held in Belarus – the Continental Cup Super Final and the IIHF U-18 World Championship. Since then Belarus has hosted lots of top ice hockey tournaments, while Belarusian hockey clubs proved they can compete with top-ranked foreign teams when HC Junost–Minsk won the Continental Cup.

Clubs

The club championship of Belarus is dominating in its region, with clubs from Ukraine, Latvia and Lithuania all playing in Belarus at different levels. Promoting further integration, HC Dinamo Minsk made its debut in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), which unites the leading clubs of Russia, Belarus, Latvia and Kazakhstan, in the 2008/09 season.

Support

Belarusian ice hockey enjoys strong support of the state, which has adopted a targeted program for construction of modern palaces of winter sports. We had only three arenas in 1999 whereas now we possess twenty. The construction of another 28 rinks within the next years is under way.
We are happy to observe this progress, because sports offer all, young and old, exciting and healthy lifestyles. The country takes pride in its children, who play hockey in sports schools and show their best in the regular Golden Puck amateur championship for the prize of the President of the Republic of Belarus.

2014

The 2014 IIHF World Championship is a vital issue for every Belarusian. Belarus, hosting this championship, would not only boost the national economy, but also take Belarusian ice hockey to a whole new level. Our devoted fans, including boys and girls who love sports, are eager to see their idols with their own eyes to admire, learn, adopt the best traditions and lay a sound foundation for future victories.