2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Sweden & Finland will bring together a comprehensive united front to beat the drum for clean sport
2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, taking place now in May, highlights the importance of fair play. During the event, the team captains will sign a public commitment for clean sport. The Championship has declared itself a clean sporting event, and as a token of this, Matti Nurminen, Managing Director of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, will have the honour of receiving the Golden Baton of Clean Sport tomorrow.
Ice hockey fans will have a chance to witness how all the powerhouses of ice hockey are joining forces for clean sport at the 2013 IIHF WM. The event organisers, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Finnish Antidoping Agency FINADA will carry the common message of clean sport at the event. The Golden Baton of Clean Sport, circulating throughout international sports events organised in Finland, embodies a common will and direction. The latest appearance of the Baton was at the World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships in March.
– It is great to hand over the Baton now to ice hockey players who also participate in sport on ice as a team. Even though synchronized skating and ice hockey are very different types of sport, we have a powerful common message: there is strength in a team! I hope that the 2013 IIHF WM will be as golden for Finns as the World Synchronized Skating Championships were, says Lea Åman, General Secretary of the Finnish Figure Skating Association.
– Our Championship may not feature as much art and beauty on ice as the World Synchronized Skating Championships but the same great team spirit and willingness to act fairly are guaranteed to be there. Both athletes and spectators have the right to clean sport – if we abandon it, we will also abandon the core and the key idea of sport, notes Matti Nurminen, Managing Director of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
– 2013 IIHF WM has declared itself as a common project for the entire Finnish sporting community. In the same manner, clean and fair play are a continuous joint superproject for the entire world of sports. It is great to see how fair play is a common cause for all of us. The impressive stand that the 2013 IIHF WM is taking for clean sport is an expression of the importance of ethical sport, says Pirjo Ruutu, Secretary General of the Finnish Antidoping Agency FINADA.
Not only the Golden Baton but also the athletes’ feet will have a golden look at the 2013 IIHF WM: FINADA will give Golden Shoelaces of clean sport to all athletes who are tested. By using them, athletes can demonstrate that they support clean sport.
The 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on 3–19 May is the 77th men’s championship. As in the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Sweden and Finland have joined forces in hosting the event.
Further information:
Susanna Sokka
FINADA Information Manager
Mobile +358 (0)40 740 7477
Internet: www.finhockey.fi