The total number of spectators of the World Hockey Championships played in Tampere in the spring increased from the previous year’s home games.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation made a profit of 9.3 million euros at the men’s World Cup competitions held in Tampere last spring. President of the Ice Hockey Association Harri Nummela told about it on Monday at the association’s media conference.
Finland shared the hosting of the competition with Latvia. In Riga and Tampere, preliminary blocks and quarterfinals were played in both, but the medal games were played in Tampere.
– It went really well this year as well, considering that these were shared World Cup competitions, Nummela said.
Leijonat missed the quarterfinals at the end of a long period of success, but the money-making machine grinded at a comfortable pace again.
The total number of viewers increased from the previous year
Finland will also host the World Cup in 2022 and won the world championship at that time. At that time, the venues were Helsinki and Tampere. The profit was 13.9 million euros. The audience was a total of 356,955 spectators.
Riga and Tampere did better with 441,885 viewers.
– Financially successful World Cup competitions provide support for the future, Nummela said.
General secretary of the World Cup competitions Heikki Hietanen reminded that the work was long. Preparations for the spring 2022 World Cup competitions began already in 2017. Finland was originally not supposed to be held in 2023, but the World Cup competitions that were taken away from Russia were eventually distributed to Finland and Latvia.
– Quite an achievement from the team and our friends in Latvia, Hietanen praised the race machinery.
Latvia will host the World Cup competitions in 2021 as well, but at that time the audience was not admitted to the games due to the corona pandemic. Now Latvia also got a taste of money-making, and Finland helped with the World Cup arrangements.
– At the beginning of the competition, we were in the position of big brother. There was a good spirit all the time. Thanks to them (Latvia) for the partnership, Hietanen said.