IIHF Women’s World Championship To Return To Ottawa

Ottawa will host the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World Championship, bringing the event back to the Canadian city for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 1990.

Ottawa was selected ahead of rival Canadian bids from Kamloops and St. John's. It will be the sixth time that Canada has staged the Women’s World Championship. The tournament is scheduled to run from April 2-9 in conjunction with the Ontario Women's Hockey Association's provincial championships.

The last time the Championship took place in Canada was in Winnipeg four years ago when a record attendance of 122,152 fans helped to generate a record profit of more than C$750,000 (US$775,000) for Hockey Manitoba, Hockey Canada and its member branches.

“We had three great bids and it wasn't an easy process, but we certainly picked the best location,” Hockey Canada president Nicholson told The Canadian Press. “Ottawa deserves to have it for the second time, but both St. John's and Kamloops put in very quality bids and we look forward to them bidding again in the future.”

Nicholson added that the IIHF is currently in the final stages of approving a new format for the Women’s World Championship. “There is going to be a new format which has us play the US in the round-robin games and there will be two different pools and they'll be seeded,” he added. “So you're going to see more competitive games, but with everyone still having the opportunity to win the championship, the top teams will play more often.”

Source: sportbusiness.com