HELSINKI – The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) formally signed a new agreement, which will see the two organisations work together on all aspects of Risk Management and Crisis Communication for the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

As part of the agreement, the ICSS team, including Helmut Spahn (Executive Director), Heinz Palme (Director of Business Development) and Rick Festorazzi (Director of Training), briefed staff at venues in Helsinki and Stockholm earlier this week on overall concept and scenario planning and will support and advise the IIHF throughout ice hockey’s premier competition.

The agreement was signed by IIHF President René Fasel at the championship, which is currently taking place in Finland and Sweden.

“Major sporting events are becoming increasingly complex and we are delighted about this new partnership and the work so far with the ICSS,” Fasel says about the new partnership. “With a global network of practitioners and expertise in sport safety, security and integrity, the ICSS will play an important part in staging a safe and successful and I look forward to working further with the team over the coming weeks.”

Based in Doha, Qatar, the International Centre for Sport Security is an international, not-for-profit institution that aims to help event organizers to stage safer major sporting events. The Centre's mission is to enhance security and integrity in the world of sport by proactively addressing real issues and providing best-in-class training, research and tailored advice.

“With the tournament off to an exciting start, this new agreement represents a valuable opportunity to share knowledge and best practice between both organisations,” says Helmut Spahn, Executive Director of the ICSS. “We hope that the ICSS can play an important role in the overall success of this year’s IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and many other major sporting events for years to come.”

The ICSS team brings together some of the world’s leading sport security and integrity experts and has access to a worldwide network of specialist practitioners, offering expertise in every aspect of sport security and integrity.

The ICSS recently announced partnerships with the Université Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Institute for Fan Culture led by Prof. Harald Lange of the Julius Maximilian University in Würzburg to help gather knowledge with international sports federation and tackle emerging threats in the world of sports.