The Observer Program has been run for several years with the clear objective of passing on experiences from the present and past to the World Championship organizing committees of the future.

There’s plenty to learn from an excellently organized World Championship in the Czech Republic. The program connects hosts from several countries to make sure that future organizers can learn from the experiences from previous years but also to not make a mistake twice.

IIHF President Rene Fasel and IIHF General Secretary Horst Lichtner opened the session with their welcome speeches and talked about key groups such as the athletes, officials, fans, media and delegates as well as the opportunity to work together in a big team with people from ice hockey associations, experts of various fields joining the organizing committee and the many volunteers who will be the face of a World Championship and without whom an event of that size cannot be organized.

With a well-prepared event and a great atmosphere at the arenas, this year’s organizer set a great example. 256,330 spectators came to enjoy the first 24 games at the two venues. That offers the Czechs the opportunity to claim back the attendance record. Last year the Belarusian capital of Minsk broke the record set by Prague and Ostrava in 2004 with an attendance of 640,044 fans in 64 games.

Led by IIHF Transfer of Knowledge Director Cornelia Ljungberg, the participants from the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship organizers from Russia, from Germany and France in 2017 and from Denmark in 2018 learn from IIHF staff and organizing committee members from various areas during the two-day workshop and practically at the tours behind the scenes in various areas at the O2 Arena.