Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee, together with René Fasel, IIHF President, Vladislav Tretiak, IHFR President and Arkady Rotenberg, Chairman of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, took part in the opening ceremony of the 3rd International Hockey Forum, which brought together representatives of the hockey federations of Canada, the United States, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Finland and other countries, as well as famous coaches, legendary hockey players, leading domestic and foreign experts and scientists in the field of medicine and education.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov:
″It is symbolic that the Forum is taking place when we are widely celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary coach Anatoly Tarasov whose contribution to the development of hockey is recognized and appreciated all over the world.
The participation in the Forum of such a representative, diverse and authoritative audience once again underlines the importance of this event for the further development of one of the most popular sports.
The Forum has a very interesting and rich agenda that covers almost all the current problems existing in individual countries and on a global scale. I look forward to the presentations of distinguished speakers and the panel discussions with great interest.
As the head of the National Olympic Committee, I can’t but worry about the Olympic future of hockey. I suppose that all those gathered here in this hall believe that all the strongest hockey players of the planet should take part in the Olympic Games, so that these tournaments, as before, become the main decoration of the Games and have sold-out stadiums.
On behalf of the Russian Olympic Committee, I wish all the participants and guests of the Forum good health, an excellent mood, rewarding work, interesting discussions and vivid impressions of their stay in the Russian capital!″.
