PYEONGCHANG, Korea, Republic Of – Women’s hockey has gone from having an uncertain future at the Winter Olympics to expansion.
International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel said Monday in Pyeongchang, South Korea, that the women’s hockey field in 2022 will increase by two countries to 10.
Beijing’s organizing committee asked for the expansion, Fasel said, which helps host China get a team in the tournament.
“We are sure that is the next step we have to do for our women’s game,” said Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer, chair of the IIHF’s women’s committee, at a news conference with Fasel.
When Canada and the U.S. outscored their opposition by a combined 88-4 at the 2010 Vancouver Games, then-president of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge said “we cannot continue without improvement.”
While it was unlikely women’s hockey would get the boot given the IOC’s desire for gender parity at the Games, it lit a fire under those in power in hockey to make the international women’s game more competitive.
A significant change in the format of the Olympic Games and world championships after 2010 ensured the top-two seeded countries would never face the bottom two seeds, which eliminated the most lopsided scores.
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The 2022 expansion helps Asian teams. Japan was among the last two teams to grab a spot in the 2018 tournament and a united Koreas squad earned a berth as hosts.
The 2019 women’s world championship will be 10 teams for the first time.
“I play with a bunch of players that were just on the cusp of last year’s world championship and I think it’s great to get Austria more involved, Norway, Denmark,” said Canadian forward Brianne Jenner, who plays club hockey in Sweden.
“They have some really great players. For us to branch out into 10 teams, it’s really going to push the federations to put more money into women’s hockey.”
The eight-country field in Pyeongchang also includes Canada, the U.S., Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Olympic Athletes from Russia.
China finished fourth when women’s hockey made its Olympic debut in 1998, but the country did not quality for either the 2014 or 2018 Winter Games.
China’s hockey federation is now putting significant money behind its women’s hockey program in preparation for 2022.
Two club teams – the Kunlun Red Star and the Vanke Rays – joined the Canadian Women’s Hockey League this season.
–With files from The Associated Press
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