News . 05 may 2006

On 5th May the 2006 IIHF World Hockey Championship will begin. The official opening of the Championship will take place in Arena Riga at 21:00 before the game between the Latvian and Czech National Teams. Complying with the IIHF regulations, the Opening Ceremony will be 15 minutes long and will feature Championship’s mascot RIX welcoming the hockey fans by traditional hockey melodies performed on timpanos.
 

Riga, Latvia
The Ceremony will also include performances by pop group Cosmos, figure skaters from the Latvian National Figure Skating Team and flag-bearers, who will create “pictures” on ice with the national flags of the 16 participating teams. The opening speeches will be made by President of IIHF Rene Fasel and President of LHF Kirovs Lipmans. The President of Latvia Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga will declare the World Hockey Championship open. The Latvian and Czech National Teams will be accompanied onto ice by the 2nd and 3rd place winners of the competition The First Puck Oļegs Sišļaņņikovs and Mārtiņš Plikšs and the first symbolic puck will be dropped by the 1st place winner of the Competition Niklāvs Birovs.