TOKYO – For the first time in its 104-year-old history an IIHF Congress will be held in Asia. The IIHF and its Japanese member are picking up speed in the planning for the General Congress next September in Tokyo, Japan.
The General Congress is the IIHF's highest legislative body and makes decisions about the rules of the game, the statues and bylaws. It’s also where the IIHF’s currently 70 member elect the president and the council, the IIHF’s executive body.
The IIHF General Congress meets every four years. Last time it took place was in 2008 in Montreal, Canada. The members elect the IIHF President, the three Vice Presidents (Asia/Oceania, Europe/Africa, Americas) and the other members of the 14-person Council that consists of 13 voting members – of which at least two must be female – and the General Secretary. The members of the Audit Committee are also elected at the General Congress.
The 2012 IIHF General Congress will be organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation in co-operation with this year’s host, the Japanese Ice Hockey Federation.
Japan has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1930 and has participated with hockey teams in eight Olympic Winter Games. The country has 20,226 registered ice hockey players, the ninth-highest number worldwide. It is currently ranked 22nd in the IIHF Men’s World Ranking and 11th in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking.
The General Congress will be held over five days, in order to allow enough time for all the elections and other important voting to take place, in addition to all the usual matters which are on the agenda of an ordinary Semi-Annual Congress.
This week representatives of both organizations met under the chairmanship of IIHF Vice President Shoichi Tomita at the place where the General Congress will take place at the end of September, the Prince Hotel Takanawa in Tokyo.
The Prince Hotel Takanawa, located in downtown Tokyo, is a hotel and facility complex comprised of ten buildings perfectly suitable for the IIHF’s needs. The hotel is situated in walking distance from Shinagawa train station which connects to the Yamanote line, serving Tokyo’s most exiting points of interests within minutes. It is just one stop from the famous Shinkansen high-speed train with speeds up to 300 km/h for those who want to explore the surroundings of the ten-million-inhabitant metropolis within minutes.
On the agenda was the signing of the hotel contract for accommodation and meeting rooms, the finalization of the various social programs and all the organizational matters like transportation and volunteers to be coordinated in a joint venture between the IIHF and JIHF office staff.
Joining the meetings at some point was also Yasuhiro Nakamori, Director of the Japanese Olympic Committee’s President’s office, who also committed the support of the JOC office to the organization of the 2012 IIHF General Congress.
Compiled by IIHF Staff
From left to right: Thoshiyuki Takahasi (JIHF Secretariat), Harald Springfeld (IIHF Asian Sport Development Manager), Hannes Ederer (IIHF Deputy General Secretary), Shoichi Tomita (IIHF Vice President), Yasuhiro Nakamori (JOC Director for international relations & strategic planning of the President’s office), Hiroshi Harada (JIHF General Secretary), Daigo Asada (JIHF Secretariat).
