The annual fight for the ice hockey crown will be taking place this year between 1 and 17 May in the Czech capital of Prague (O2 arena) and in the Eastern Czech town of Ostrava (ČEZ ARÉNA). ŠKODA has been the official main sponsor of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships since 1993. This makes ŠKODA’s commitment the longest main sponsorship in the history of sports world championships. The brand will be able to reach out to around 800 million TV viewers around the world through numerous activities, such as providing the shuttle service and supporting individual national teams.
“Ice hockey is the central pillar of our sponsorship strategy,” says Werner Eichhorn, ŠKODA Board Member for Sales and Marketing. “This year, our commitment is particularly important for us: Firstly, the world championship is taking place in our home country, and secondly, it’s going to be the first time our new flagship – the new ŠKODA Superb – will be used at an official event. This is going to be a huge event on home turf where we’ll be waving the flag high and highlighting the strength of the brand.”
In providing the comprehensive shuttle service, ŠKODA will be chauffeuring officials and guests in 14 new Supberbs and 36 ŠKODA Octavia estates. Especially for the occasion, the cars are going to be painted in the national colours of white, red and blue. They are also individually ‘branded’ with the names of Czech and Czechoslovakian ice hockey legends, like Jiří Holeček, Ivan Hlinka, Dominik Hašek and Jaromír Jágr. The shuttle cars will be used primarily for transporting people between the two arenas, the airport, hotels and other destinations.
ŠKODA has a long-standing tradition of taking IIHF WM officials and guests from A to B. The fleet of between 40 and 50 vehicles have covered around six million kilometres over the past 23 years at world championship events without ever breaking down even once. On average, the ŠKODA fleets travels almost 250,000 kilometres at each world championships.
In addition to providing the fleet of vehicles, ŠKODA will be an ever-present icon in Prague and Ostrava. A further 20 vehicles will be presented at the World Championship arenas.
ŠKODA’s logo will be positioned in eye-catching places on the surface of the ice and around the stands. Additionally, three international teams will be darting around the rink bearing the ŠKODA logo on their helmets and jerseys: the Czech Republic, Slovakia and USA.
A great way for ice hockey fans around the world to stay ahead of the game is the ‘IIHF app powered by ŠKODA’. The app supported by ŠKODA provides all the information about the championships as in previous years, and is available for free download on Android, iOS, Windows and Blackberry platforms.
