Petr Bříza was elected the first vice-president of the IIHF.
Jan Handrejch, Right
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The delegates gave Bříza only eight votes in the first round of the election race for the head of the International Hockey Federation, thus putting him out of the game as the first of five candidates. But the cards in the backstage game were dealt differently. When Lucas Tardif, who has both French and Canadian citizenship, eventually became president of the IIHF, then he offered Bříza as a suitable adept to the position of vice president, not only as a great power but also in a hockey weaker country.
He was able to gain significant support behind the scenes, and it certainly played a role that in the past he led the commission responsible for the development of hockey. In the final election, seventy votes out of a total of 103 went to the former national team goalkeeper and head of Prague’s Sparta.
They can form a strong tandem with Tardif, both of whom spoke at the congress about their passion for hockey, the growth of which, according to them, also means a better product. “The development of hockey is a priority. We need small players to be global and big to have earnings, “said Bříza, talking about seeing the IIHF as a tiger who not only stands, but also jumps and runs.
A new era is beginning. Birch will be the right hand of the IIHF President
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“It’s time to ask where we want to be in ten years and whether we are willing to pay the price for hard work. I say for myself that I am ready, full of energy and will give my whole soul for the sustainable evolution of hockey, “he said. From St. Petersburg, Birch said that the elections were quite unpredictable. “In which I was eventually elected, I greatly appreciate and look forward to working with the President of the IIHF and the entire newly established Council,” he said.
But don’t imagine that Bříza’s election will get Czech hockey out of the deepest sports crisis in its history. A compatriot in the position of Vice President of the IIHF will not guarantee a change in domestic thinking, protectionism and the approach to national sport in general. There will be no more interest in players and coaches, not even more money will suddenly flow here.
The new head of world hockey is the Frenchman Tardif, Bříza was elected vice-president
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Only one official gained more prestige. Bříza continues the highest position of the Czech hockey official so far with the same intentions as the universally respected but deceased Miroslav Šubrt, who served as vice president of the IIHF from 1969 to 2003. But abroad, his opinion always had more weight than at home.
The head of the association, Tomáš Král, at a critical moment in his presidency, when he is trying to defend his indefensible past connected with the StB, describes Bříza’s election as proof of the great position of Czech hockey on the international scene. In addition, it is a bit out of place that there are not many sports in our country that can boast a similarly high representation. At the same time, Jiří Hamza has been holding the same position as Bříza in hockey for the next five years in world biathlon, Filip Šuman in floorball or Libor Varhaník in European athletics.
Of course, the IIHF has great respect for the Czech Republic as the organizer of major tournaments, and appreciates the huge interest of fans in our country in this sport, but none of the leading representatives of the world federation speaks of the Czechia setting modern trends in hockey and helping its growth. Bříza’s election did not change anything.
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