Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is to take part in Friday's official ceremony and open the 2016 ice hockey championship in VTB Ice Palace in the Russian capital, the government press service has reported.
Taking part in the ceremony will be presidential aide Igor Levitin, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and President of the International Ice Hockey Federation Rene Fasel, Tass informs.
The Ice Hockey World Championship gets underway on Friday in Moscow and St.Petersburg, with 16 teams divided into two groups. Group A whose games will be held in Moscow comprises the teams of Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Latvia, Norway, Denmark and Kazakhstan. Group B that will compete in St.Petersburg includes the teams of Canada, Finland, the United States, Slovakia, Belarus, France, Germany and Hungary.
Russia’s national team will play its first game of the tournament on Friday against the Czech Republic.
