Ulaanbaatar, March 15, 2023 /MONTSAME/.  The 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey Under 18 Asia and Oceania Championship is being held in the capital city of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar from the 11^th of March until the 17th of March. In the opening ceremony of the championship, the Minister of Finance and the President of the Mongolian Ice Hockey Federation B. Javkhlan, the Minister of Environment and Tourism B. Bat-Erdene, and the Vice President of the International Ice Hockey Federation Aivaz Omorkanov participated and made opening remarks.  

During his remarks, the President of the Mongolian Ice Hockey Federation B. Javkhlan expressed his profound gratitude to the International Ice Hockey Federation for accepting our candidature to host the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Asia and Oceania Championship and the IIHF World Championship Division IV in Mongolia, noting that Mongolian ice hockey history started its new chapter with this remarkable moment. 

The Minister of Finance and the President of the Mongolian Ice Hockey Federation B. Javkhlan  

Mongolia has submitted its candidature many times before to host the high-level ice hockey championships. The IIHF requires countries to meet certain conditions for hosting hockey world championships. This time, we have passed these thresholds after constructing Steppe Arena, which meets the standards of not only Asian championships but the Olympic standards at a 100 percent expense of private sectors in Ulaanbaatar.  

We are truly pleased to host these championships in our country. The Mongolian ice hockey team has already captured first place in high-level hockey championships twice before. The right to organize the world ice hockey championships was granted to Mongolia after successful runs at the international championships. But at that time we had no opportunity to organize it due to the lack of an indoor ice hockey arena.   

Today is a significant day that wrapped a new chapter in the history of Mongolian ice hockey. Mongolian ice hockey players had been playing and training on outdoor rinks and on frozen rivers in freezing temperatures for many years. This was a challenge that was stopping the advancement of our hockey athletes.  

So now, we have the potential to train Mongolian ice hockey athletes in a world-class ice arena.

The Vice President of IIHF Aivaz Omorkanov  

First of all, for IIHF, we are privileged to organize the first ever International Ice Hockey event here in the capital city of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. I think this is a very good opportunity for Mongolia to promote ice hockey, grow ice hockey in their country, and have more kids involved in Ice hockey. Especially, when you have a such beautiful venue, which is Steppe Arena fantastic platform for ice hockey players to play and train.

For the first time in history, Mongolia is hosting international hockey championships after constructing Steppe Arena that meets world standards. It has become an enormous support for the development of tourism related to winter sports. These hockey tournaments are being held in accordance with the “Years to Visit Mongolia” declaration from the Government of Mongolia. The officials have emphasized that the development of tourism related to sports in Mongolia is being planned to be implemented at a state policy level.  

The Minister of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia B. Bat-Erdene  

The Government of Mongolia has declared 2023-2025 as the “Years to Visit Mongolia.” In this regard, we are officially launching the “Welcome to Mongolia” program worldwide and have started planning world sports tourism in 2023 at a state policy level. The 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Asia and Oceania Championship, which is being held in Ulaanbaatar, is one example of the program. Typically, hosting high-level championships in our country requires ceaseless effort. I wish to extend my profound gratitude to Mongolian ice hockey players who are sincerely participating in this tournament. Moreover, on the behalf of the Government of Mongolia, I also would like to express my sincere appreciation to the IIHF and the Mongolian Ice Hockey Federation.  

The Minister of Finance and the President of the Mongolian Ice Hockey Federation B. Javkhlan  

In the field of tourism, it is a valuable opportunity for us to stand out as a country with a winter season, rather than focusing only on the nature and culture of our country. In this regard, this tournament is very special in that it announces to the world that winter tourism, especially tourism related to winter sports, can be developed in Mongolia.  

Over 800 tourists from ten countries are visiting Mongolia for two high-level ice hockey championships. The International Ice Hockey Federation is fully supporting us. In particular, Ayvaz Omorkanov, the Vice President of the IIHF, has greatly supported us to host these tournaments in Mongolia. It is our responsibility to successfully organize the world championships in Mongolia, and it directly affects our country’s reputation in the world arena.  

Since the International Ice Hockey Federation cannot cover all the expenses, the total cost was equally shared by the host country and the IIHF. We are organizing these tournaments at the expense of and with the help of hockey enthusiasts, fans, the private sector, and citizens.  

Therefore, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the citizens, the private sector, and hockey fans for co-organizing the tournament.  

On the first day of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Asia and Oceania Championship, the United Arab Emirates punched Thailand with a score of 5-2 while Uzbekistan conquered Turkmenistan with a score of 5-0. The last match of the first day was between Mongolia and Iran. Consequently, Mongolia solidified its status as a team to watch out for in the region following a 5-0 conquest of Iran. The 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Asia and Oceania Championship will be held until the 17^th of March. The IIHF World Championship Division IV will be held from the 23^rd of March to 26^th of March in Steppe Arena, Ulaanbaatar.  

Photos by: MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency

About the first day of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Asia and Oceania Championship:

https://www.montsame.mn/en/read/314431