Vancouver and Victoria have been selected by Hockey Canada to co-host the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship, bringing the world’s most elite players under the age of 20 to both cities December 26, 2018 to January 5, 2019.
Vancouver and Victoria along with its partners submitted a winning bid to host the 2019 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship with 19 games to take place in Vancouver at Rogers Arena and 14 games in Victoria at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Vancouver last hosted the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2006 when Team Canada went undefeated in group play with impressive shut-out victories in the semifinal and final, leading to the gold medal.
“Vancouver is home to some of the best venues, amenities, resources and volunteers and the whole city is ready to cheer on Canada at the World Juniors, says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Thanks to our experience hosting events like the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, we’ll make sure every athlete, coach and fan has an experience second to none.”
"The Vancouver Park Board is thrilled that the World Juniors will practice in our amazing Hillcrest, Killarney and Trout Lake community arenas,” says Vancouver Park Board Chair Sarah Kirby-Yung. "Tournaments like World Juniors have tremendous legacy value in helping inspire a life-long passion for sport in young athletes.”
"We are thrilled to be awarded the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship," said Ty Speer, president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver. "Over the past several years, Vancouver has built a global reputation not only for welcoming sports events ranging from rugby and soccer to basketball and marathons, but for exceeding expectations as a host destination. Hockey, in particular, is deeply ingrained in the culture of our city, and we are looking forward to the genuine excitement and passion that hosting this event will inspire."
The 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship has been identified as a strategic priority for the Sport Hosting Vancouver partnership and the strategy for its ability to drive international profile and visitation during the shoulder tourism season. The City of Vancouver’s international sport reputation has continued to grow stronger since the hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Recent successful events include the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, and the inaugural Canada Sevens Rugby event in 2016.
Tourism Vancouver along with Vancouver Hotel Destination Association, BC Pavilion Corporation and the University of British Columbia partnered with the City of Vancouver to form Sport Hosting Vancouver. Sport Hosting Vancouver is a formal sport-tourism partnership with a collective vision and framework to support the attraction, growth and development of major sport events in the city. The proactive formalized sport hosting strategy creates synergy and alignment between hosted events and the City of Vancouver’s strategic priorities and community goals including active living, community engagement and livability.
For more information on this year’s IIHF World Junior Championship, visit HockeyCanada.ca
