ИСТИНА

Ice hockey has a history for more than 100 years. But for various reasons this game did not become a global project, but remains a closed elite club. Hockey leaders in the International Ice Hockey Federation understand that hockey needs to change along with global changes in the geopolitical and economic realities of modern times. At the moment the priority of the sporting result is connected to the economic effect. A popular thesis: if there is a high sporting result, then there will always be resources under it. But one of the main problems in the global economy of sports is that few countries can afford to host the World Cup or the Continental Cup in any sport. Some countries will never be able to host a mega event. The United Nations uses the official term "least developed countries" in assessing the economic development of the world's states, which includes countries with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita less than $ 750. In total, 48 countries are among the "least developed countries". The World Championship is the main tournament for all sports federations. Many sports federations face a choice to keep their traditions or change the format and conditions of their mega events to achieve economic effect in global markets. How is this situation projected for the World Ice Hockey Championships? The main task of the World Championship in any sport is to ensure participation of all the best sportsmen for the competitions. In ice hockey, it's practically impossible to do. When NHL stars do not come to the world championship, this tournament is not the best, is not it? All market participants know about this - sports federations and leagues, TV companies, marketing agencies, etc. Marketing specialists teach us that if you and your product are not known in America, this product is not known anywhere in the world! Ice Hockey is well known and sold in North America. But the World Ice Hockey Championship was held in North America only once in 55 years. Quebec and Halifax hosted the tournament in 2008, the year of the 100th anniversary of IIHF. 3 times the tournament was held in the USA. The last time was in 1962. This is the statistics data. We focus your attention on these facts. The hockey tournament at the Olympic Games is a cherry on the cake. The leaders of the IIHF were interested in the NHL stars for participating in this tournament. To guarantee the International Ice Hockey Federation has transferred the rights to organize the 2016 World Cup in Toronto for the National Hockey League and NHLPA. It was an interesting experience. 8 teams played 16 games in two weeks. Organizers received more than 100 million dollars and maximum interest in the tournament at the global area. This tournament showed that ice hockey can become a more interesting product for sponsors and partners. For this, the rights holders from the IIHF and the NHL must take steps to meet each other. Both sides should take care of the quality of their product and its popularity in the Canada and US as a global world. We see that the comparison is in favor of the World Cup. Why did it happen so? We make several suggestions, which can be done after comparing the two tournaments. Look at them. What do you think is the most difficult thing in this story? The NHL and the IIHF must recognize their interdependence and begin a policy of convergence of interests. After that they can start building a global hockey market.