Madrid (EFE).- Manu Varho and Johanna Tiusanen, top-level technicians from Finland, have put their knowledge at the service of the organization of the Ice Hockey World Cup that will be held from April 16 to 22 in Madrid, and have remodeled the Ice Rink with measurements of 30m (width) x 60m (length) and a capacity for 1602 spectators.
Finland added its fourth World Cup last May after beating Canada in the final. A sport that has 66,687 licenses in Finland (25,085 men, 6,145 women, 35,457 juniors). Number one in the world in the men’s category, number three in the women’s category, the European ice industry and its expertise in building ice rinks comes from Helsinki.
The Spanish Hockey Federation, which celebrates its centenary this season, appealed to the experience of Finnish technicians to rebuild a track, with all the requirements of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Thus, the experts divided their work into two segments. The initial de-icing and refinishing of the surface white, first. On that first layer of ice, the playing lines were painted and after gaining more millimeters in height, the advertising vinyls were placed and the last layers of ice were made, thus ensuring an optimal state.
The Ice Palace in Madrid hosts the men’s ice hockey World Cup (Division II Group A). A sporting challenge for the Spanish team that is seeking promotion, but at the same time a real organizational test in a facility full of peculiarities that had to be overcome.
Embedded in the guts of the shopping center that bears his name, the track that houses the event is already in its best clothes surrounded by seven changing rooms that have blossomed almost from nothing, the result of ingenuity and planning. An example of the use of space.
Thus, the referees and the Spanish team will move to premises that previously housed restaurants. Israel, Australia, Iceland and Georgia in the place where skates are usually rented. And Croatia, the one with the highest ranking, in an area that remained almost hidden by junk.
All of them have the necessities that this sport demands, such as higher benches so that the players are more comfortable when they wear their skates with the blades, or hooks to hang their numerous belongings, as well as heat machines that help dry the clothes. Meanwhile, the only two changing rooms that already existed will be used for showering.
“The main challenge was the changing rooms. I could say that we have made five options for the distribution of spaces, which have been collapsing due to impossibility or difficulty of usability. When we had the fourth half designed, one day by chance they showed us a space that was full of junk, in fact more than 3,000 kilos of scrap metal from hospitality issues came out. He was one of the main assets to be able to set up the Croatian dressing room”, explains Ángel Guardiola, director of the World Cup, to EFE.
“I would say that we have opted for reusability. We saw those spaces, we detected that they had the opportunity, we only needed the agreement of the shopping center. And we still hope that thanks to this agreement, part of those installed here, such as electrical wiring, plumbing, heaters, water tanks, can remain as a legacy of the World Cup for this facility and for ice hockey at the national level, that competitions such as the Cup can come here of the King that we have just had”, he indicates.
That is another of the highlights of the process, taking advantage of what has been done for other competitions: “We were very clear when we came here in October last year that we wanted to project four major events onto the shopping center. In December we had the Spanish figure skating championship with great success. And we close with the final of the National Skating League on May 13 and 14. In between we had the Copa del Rey for men’s ice hockey, a test for everything we have designed”.
For all this, they have reached agreements with the shopping center: “We have closed agreements with a supermarket, with several of the restaurants, with an optician… we believe in generating the economy at kilometer zero. When we have gone to Jaca we have done the same. If tomorrow we go to another city, we will do the same. We want ice hockey to also give money to the surrounding businesses”.
Another aspect of great complexity has been the treatment of ice. Finland has put its talent. “The Finns are the great ice-making school worldwide. They are famous and are all over the world making ice in different rinks. It is a very complex niche where the technological part is essential. The ice used in hockey is not the same as in curling”.
These are just some of the human assets that are needed to make everything work. What in October were about 16 workers, shortly after the beginning there are 50 or 60. And there is a lack of volunteers. Hands will not be lacking for details such as the attention or the transfer of the participating countries.
“We move in a fork of more than 100,000 euros, but I cannot give budgets. The figure that has risen the most with respect to the initial one has been the maintenance and transportation of the equipment. This budget was made in May of last year and since then everything has risen tremendously, it is above a 30% increase compared to the items we had initially estimated”, says Guardiola.
Part of the investment is expected to be recovered with tickets, with prices ranging from 10 euros to see tomorrow’s game one day to 99 euros for the subscription to follow everything in its entirety. There will also be plans focused only on each country, being able to enjoy the host’s five matches for 50 euros or 69 if you want to also have a replica of the shirt.
“It is one of the main challenges of this year on the occasion of the centenary of ice hockey in Spain, of its joining the IIHF. It was the icing on the cake and we have thrown in the rest, it will mean everything, especially if we get promoted to the first division. We have set a precedent with the way of seeing, teaching and enjoying ice hockey in Spain”, completes Guardiola.