ŠKODA AUTO became a partner of the Ice Hockey World Championship in 1992 when the event was staged in Prague and Bratislava while the two countries were still part of Czechoslovakia. A year later, the Czech car manufacturer became the main sponsor of the Ice Hockey World Championship and broadened its commitment; the brand logo appeared in the centre circle and on the players’ jerseys. The first official cars to feature in the championship were the ŠKODA FAVORIT and FORMAN at the 1993 tournament in Munich. Since then, ŠKODA AUTO has benefited from the great public interest and reach of the international sporting event to present its new models to an international audience.
In 1996, ŠKODA presented the first modern generation of its bestseller, the OCTAVIA, during the Ice Hockey World Championship in Vienna, and in 2008, fans were able to catch their first glimpse of the second-generation SUPERB in the Canadian cities of Quebec and Halifax. Commercials for the model started airing on television at the same time. In 2019, ŠKODA AUTO made its electric debut at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia, presenting the SUPERB iV and the CITIGOe iV.
2022 Ice Hockey World Championship – ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV is the star of the fleet
As part of its engagement, which was recognised in 2017 as the Guinness World Record for the longest main sponsorship in the history of World Sports Championships, ŠKODA AUTO is providing 45 vehicles to the Ice Hockey World Championship organisers this year. The fleet boasts 15 ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iVs. With a system output of 220 kW, this is the most powerful ŠKODA production model ever built. The fleet also includes 30 vehicles from the SUPERB iV model series with plug-in hybrid drive and the KODIAQ SUV.
Crystal trophies designed by ŠKODA Design for the tournament’s Most Valuable Player
Since 2018, ŠKODA AUTO’s Design department has designed the glass trophy for the tournament’s MVP. The cut of the trophy is inspired by skate marks on the ice and combines the dynamics of ice hockey with the Czech car manufacturer’s current, emotive design language. This year is no exception – the unique trophy will be presented to the MVP on the last day of the tournament at the award ceremony.
Social media, ŠKODA storyboard and IIHF app
The car manufacturer has exclusive content for ice hockey fans on its official social media channels and the ŠKODA Storyboard. Among other topics, they will find an overview of the 30-year partnership between ŠKODA AUTO and the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. ŠKODA AUTO will again be supporting the Ice Hockey World Championship as a sponsor of the official IIHF 2022 Championship App. It keeps fans up to date with the latest scores and the action on the ice and is available to download free from the Google Play Store or the App Store.
