Agent and hockey expert Alexei Dementyev believes that it is necessary to reduce the number of teams participating in the World Championship.
The 2024 World Cup was held in the Czech Republic, the hosts of the tournament became winners, defeating the Swiss in the final (2:0). 16 teams participated in the tournament.
— The tournament turned out to be interesting. Take, for example, the fact that the North American teams, who played carelessly in the first game, found themselves outside the medals. I don’t think there’s anything to regret about it. The biggest problem with the championship is that it is too long. We have to change something, reduce the number of teams. When the number of teams increases to 20, the number of spectators attending the championship will be higher. There is a logic to this. But is it necessary on a sporting level? This is a big question for me.
I am very happy for the Czechs, because the team played well in all matches. This team approached its work very responsibly. We played for each other, blocked a lot of pucks, came back on defense – that really inspires great respect. The Swiss entered the final with certain hopes, which is why they traveled a long way to get there. This is not to say that they had no chance in the final, but the Czech national team goalkeeper did wonders, he played at an incredible level. In general, the championship went well, it’s a shame that there are no Russian and Belarusian teams,” Dementyev told RB Sport.
The Russian national team was suspended from participation in tournaments under the auspices of the IIHF due to the situation in Ukraine.
RB Sport
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I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
