Canada FM loses beer bet to Kerry on ice hockey

London: Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird on Thursday handed over a case of Canadian beer to his US counterpart John Kerry after losing a bet on a women`s ice hockey championships. "While the Canadian women played tremendously well and almost pulled it off, they didn`t quite make it unfortunately again against our American friends," Baird laughed as he handed over a case of Molson Canadian.

The two men had bet on the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Women`s World Championship between the US and Canada late Tuesday in which the American team scored a 3-2 victory. Baird also donated a case of Beau`s beer from Vankleek Hill, Ontario for the US embassy staff in Ottawa. Kerry had staked a case of Sam Adams on the game. "We`re very, very happy. I`m delighted that the American team won the game, but I salute our great Canadian friends and extraordinary group of athletes on both sides," Kerry said. The US secretary of state, who was in London to attend a meeting of G8 foreign ministers, pledged not to down the beer immediately on Thursday, just hours before he was due to leave for a long-haul flight to Seoul. AFP