The Slovak Ice Hockey Federation, with the support of the state, wants to improve conditions for the development of ice hockey - as the most popular sport in Slovakia. Each self-governing region will set a "Hockey academy" as part of the network of sports high schools. The government greenlighted €14 million for this purpose. According to the president of the hockey federation, Miroslav Šatan, the main goal of the project is to connect education and sport for young hockey players on a comparable level with abroad.
"We don't want them to leave for abroad, on the contrary, we should be able to keep the best young at home. In a few years they will represent Slovakia at prestigious sports tournaments," stated the Prime Minister, Peter Pellegrini.
In 2002, Slovakia won the ice hockey world championships. Since then, the national team has ranked significantly worse. Experts from the Slovak Ice Hockey Association want to revive the golden times and improve the conditions for the development of hockey as the most popular sport in Slovakia. However, back in 2002, the government promised to build 20 new hockey stadiums. This promise was never fulfilled.
On the other hand, sports analyst Robert Kotian does not understand why the government put hockey in the forefront this time.
"The proposal doesn't explain this move sufficiently. On the other hand, it makes much more sense to invest in the sporting infrastructure, because we can see the results right away," thinks Kotian.
The government will cover a maximum of 40 % of the total cost per new stadium. Self-governing regions will have to pay the rest of the budget. On Wednesday, the government also approved €8.5 million for the reconstruction of the Pasienky sports hall in Bratislava, which should become a National basketball center.
