15.09.2003

The Czech Republic will be hosts for the 2004 IIHF World Hockey Championship. The “Worlds” then is coming back to Prague after a 12-year break and games will also be played in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, where one of the basic groups will be located. This will all take place after the hard work of building a new arena in Prague is complete, and following an exchange of terms of organization of the World Championship with Finland.

15.09.2003

Known for many years as the Palace of Culture and Sports, Arena Vítkovice in Ostrava, eastern Czech Republic is undergoing a major period of reconstruction. The reason for the reconstruction is preparations for the 2004 IIHF World Championship which will be co-hosted by Arena Vítkovice in April and May 2004. The budget is in the amount of 700 million Czech crowns, which should help to improve the facilities of the arena according to the strict constraints of time. Part of the reconstruction is also an enlargement in the number of parking places in the neighbourhood of Vítkovice Arena – to up to 2000 spots.

13.09.2003

The Czech Ice Hockey Association and the joint-stock company BESTSPORT have concluded the agreement on use of the multiple-use SAZKA ARENA for the Ice Hockey World Championship 2004.