The future of women’s ice hockey at the Winter Olympics could be in doubt if other nations do not start challenging the domination of Canada and the United States, IOC president Jacques Rogge said on Thursday.
|Last Updated: Feb 26, 2010, 11:01 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Vancouver: The future of women’s ice hockey at the Winter Olympics could be in doubt if other nations do not start challenging the domination of Canada and the United States, IOC president Jacques Rogge said on Thursday.
For evidence of the lopsided competition, one needs look no further than the results. Canada had 46 goals and allowed two going into the gold medal game on Thursday against a US team that scored 40 goals and conceded two.
It also marked the third time in the four Olympics women ice hockey players have competed in that the North American rivals have met in the gold medal game. Sweden and Finland are the only other countries to win a medal in women’s Olympic ice hockey.
“There is a discrepancy there, everyone agrees with that,” Rogge told reporters. “This is maybe the investment period in women’s ice hockey. I would personally give them more time to grow but there must be a period of improvement. We cannot continue without improvement.”
Ice hockey officials believe the skills gap is related to levels of participation, and successful Canadian and US squads inspire more women to play, building the talent pools.
“The Canadian and US girls are living on another planet,” said International Ice Hockey Federation head Rene Fasel, who estimates there are 80,000 girls playing ice hockey in Canada compared to 267 in Slovakia.
The lack of broad participation has repeatedly been cited by the IOC as a reason they have not allowed women’s ski jumping as sport in the Winter Olympics.
Sweden’s women’s ice hockey coach Peter Elander dismissed suggestions that non-North American teams do not prepare as well, saying they just do not have the same resources.
“We’ve worked our asses off,” he said, when asked about the sport’s future after his team finished fourth with a loss to Finland in the bronze medal game.
Elander added that for a close tournament all teams need to prepare in the same way, suggesting less-developed programs get aid to match the resources of North American teams.
Some have suggested Canada and the United States help their rivals by setting up a training system similar to the men’s that would allow more European players to develop their skills in North America.
“We’re at the point where the US and Canada have to take leadership roles,” said Daniele Sauvageau, who coached the Canadian women’s team to a gold medal in 2002.
Finland’s goalie Noora Raty said the team’s bronze at the Vancouver Olympics will help in her homeland.
“I think the gap is going to be a lot closer in four years. Now we will get more practice and we can practice more.”
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.