On January 18, the official opening of the World Ice Hockey Championship for teams under 20 years old (U20) took place in Bishkek.
The ceremony included a concert and a parade of the teams participating in the tournament. Among those present were representatives of the authorities, sports organizations, foreign guests, athletes, and fans.
Speeches of congratulations were made by Edil Baisalov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazybek Moldazhiyev, Director of the State Agency for Physical Culture and Sports, Mayor of the capital Aibek Junushaliev, Umbetaly Kydyraliev, Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, Franz Reindl, member of the Council of the International Ice Hockey Federation, as well as the President of the Ice Hockey Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic Anvar Omorkanov.
On the first day of the championship, a match took place featuring the Kyrgyzstan national team, which won against the Hong Kong (China) team with a score of 4:1.
The U20 World Ice Hockey Championship will run until January 24. Teams from Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Luxembourg, South Africa, Iran, and Hong Kong (China) are participating in the tournament.
