This is a special year for the IIHF as we celebrate our 100-year anniversary, and part of what is making our centennial so memorable are the many milestones that women’s hockey is reaching this year.

We kicked off 2008 with the first-ever World Women U18 Championship, which was a smashing success in Canada with the U.S. taking home the first-ever gold. And now, we reach our second momentous event for the women’s game as our World Championship will, at last, be held in China.

That women’s hockey has expanded to the point that an Asian nation will play host to our premiere event says a lot about just how far the game has come since the early World Championship events in the 1990s. While the international men’s game has had 100 years to expand and develop, the women’s game has grown leaps and bounds in less than 30 years – just imagine what the sport can accomplish in future.

The top goal for the future of women’s hockey must be development of the game in the already-active nations. As was evident at the U18 Championship in Calgary, the North American nations are still able to dominate simply because they have the programs in place to attract and work with the greatest number of players. But similar dedication by the other nations is slowly closing this gap.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and so we too must remain patient as the second and third tier nations build their women’s programs. It is heartening to see that we now have five World Women’s Championships that include close to 35 teams. Even at the turn of the century, most people would not have thought that would be possible. Now we must nurture those nations and ensure that not only the quantity of teams in our women’s championship program continues to grow, but the quality as well.

These nine teams here in Harbin, are ambassadors for the future of the sport. They will set the tone for next generation of players to follow. It is a big responsibility, but one that I am sure each player is eager to take on.

I encourage the eight visiting teams to enjoy China and all it has to offer. It is indeed a rare experience to travel to such a far away land for a hockey championship and I hope all of the participants take full advantage of this opportunity. To the players, coaches, volunteers and fans, I would like to say thank you for your passion and dedication that helps ensure the growth of the sport.

Finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to Hockey China and the city of Harbin for assuming the responsibility to organize this 2008 IIHF World Women’s Championship.

RenéFasel

IIHF President