(ATR) The 12th Men’s World Floorball Championships return to Prague for a third time beginning on Saturday.
The sport is popular in the Czech Republic, and International Floorball Federation (IFF) Secretary General John Liljelund tells Around the Rings the expectations for the tournament are high.
"We are now estimating some 140,000 plus total number of spectators for the whole event, with over 90 percent sales," he says, adding that the local organizing committee "has run a very successful school campaign all over the country and that will bring a lot of spectators for the weekdays".
Liljelund believes "both the one game record and the overall event spectator record will most likely be broken".
For the first time, organizers are running Fan Zones not only in the host city but in all the provincial capitals all over the Czech Republic, helping to grow the sport on both a national and international level, according to Liljelund.
The more than 500 volunteers for the event are coming not only from throughout the Czech Republic but also from across Europe.
For floorball to one day make an Olympic Games program, the sport will likely need to increase the number of competitive teams, and grow the sport in general, outside of Scandinavia and a few other European countries.
There are 69 member countries in the IFF but only five have ever won a medal at the world championships. Since Norway's bronze at the inaugural championships in 1996, only Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic have reached the podium.
"Closing the gap between the top four and the runners-up is one of the key objectives for the IFF," Liljelund tells ATR. "Floorball has developed quite in the same way as ice hockey, where for around 30 years there were only four medalists in the World Championships until Finland got a medal in 1992."
"The development is faster in the top countries, as there are semi-professional leagues. Floorball is among the top three sports by number of licensed players in the Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden and very big also in Switzerland. The growth in Asia is huge and the inclusion now on the South-East Asian Games for the third time in Philippines 2019 helps. Also China and India are developing. So there is a lot being done."
Floorball is on the program for the World Games in 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama and Liljelund says the IFF has put a lot of work into developing the sport for that event.
"It is difficult to introduce a new sport to North America, but we have had success with the U19 World Floorball Championships and next May we will play in Halifax, Canada."
As for getting the sport onto the Olympic program, Liljelund believes there are still hurdles to clear before that can become a reality.
"For us it is most important to prove that our sport is growing and that we have a competitive event, which gathers a young audience around the world. The objective is to be included in one multi-sport event at a time, with the ultimate dream of one day being attractive enough for the Olympic Games."
The 16-team Men’s World Floorball Championships run from December 1-9. Finland is the defending champion, having beaten Sweden in a penalty shootout in the 2016 final.
ATR coverage of the World Floorball Championships is made possible by the generous support of the IFF
Written by Gerard Farek
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