2020 marks another busy year in the ISBHF calendar. As usual, the even years are dedicated to Juniors and Masters. Teams of exciting prospects and legends of the game will meet to compete and determine which nations will take the medals to their home country.
The 2019 ISBHF Annual Conference has approved the hosting nations for 2020 and the exact dates and venues have been agreed on between the ISBHF and Organising Committees at subsequent meetings.
2020 will begin strong by another exciting event held in the Czech Republic – the Men’s & Women’s Masters Championships. Between June 17-21, the veterans, some of the best players in history of our sport, will fight for their nations in the modern Budvar Arena in České Budějovice.
České Budějovice, the historic capital of the South Bohemian region, will welcome its visitors with its majestic main square and picturesque architecture as well as the distinct and original Budweiser Budvar lager. The Budvar Arena is a renovated, world-class two-rink facility, offering enough capacity for nations to send 2 teams in each category.
After 5 years, ISBHF action will return to under the Alps – Switzerland. The World U20 & U18 Junior Championshipswill be held in state of the art arenas in Visp and Raron. The two towns are located in the Sierre region, which previously hosted the ISBHF World Championships. “That area loves ball hockey, and we are confident there will be big crowds like in 2003,” Ronny Strähler of Swiss Streethockey remarked.
Based on the agreement of the ISBHF and Swiss Streethockey, the confirmed dates for the ISBHF World U20 & U18 Junior Championships in Switzerland are June 24-28. Teams and spectators will enjoy state of the art venues – the brand new Lonza Arena in Visp, with a capacity of 5,000, and the renovated arena in Raron, only 10 minutes away by car.
A week later, the U16 Boys and U20 Girls will meet at the World Junior Cup, held this time in Slovakia, between July 2-5. The Slovak Ball Hockey Union looks forward to hosting this major event on the ISBHF calendar, and has shortlisted potential venues. The selected venue will be announced later in the 2019 ISBHF season.
As a bonus, the ISBHF and Canadian Ball Hockey Association are also pleased to announce that the 2021 ISBHF Men’s & Women’s World Championships will take place in Canada. The CBHA venue bidding process is in its initial stages.
We look forward to another exciting year. See you there – at the 2020 ISBHF events!
