Following the Chinese women's ice hockey team's successful promotion to Group A after winning the World Championship Class A Group B, there is good news for the Chinese men's ice hockey team recently.
In the 2022 World Men's Ice Hockey Championship Division B Group A game held in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, the Chinese men's ice hockey team, based on the Beijing Winter Olympics lineup, successively defeated Israel, the Netherlands, Croatia and Spain. Not only did he end the World Championship tour with a complete victory record, but he also returned to the World Championship Class A after 15 years.
In order to make the game more entertaining and safe, the World Championships are played in strict accordance with the strength of the competition.
For men, under the top group (currently there are 16 teams), it is further divided into A, B, C and D, and so on. A tournament system is held once a year.
Since the Chinese men's ice hockey team competed in the World Championships in the 1970s, it has always been in the C and B divisions.
After entering 2000, there were several promotions to Division A, but it was difficult to maintain and then drop back to Division B. Since being relegated from Division A in 2007, he has been fighting in Division B.
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese men's ice hockey national team, which has not appeared in top competitions for many years, is eye-catching. It dared to attack and fight against strong teams, showing that Chinese ice hockey players are not afraid of strong enemies and welcome Difficult look.
After the Beijing Winter Olympics, China's men's ice hockey team is actively preparing for the World Championships. The goal of the Chinese team is to compete for the championship and to advance to the group.
In the first game, the Chinese team defeated the Israeli team, the world's lowest ranked team in this group, 14-1, and got a good start.
In the second game, the Chinese team defeated the Dutch team, the strongest opponent in this group, 5-1, and won two consecutive victories to seize the opportunity.
In the third game, facing the host Croatian team, which also won two wins, with the outstanding performance in the second quarter, the Chinese team defeated the opponent 5-1, won the championship ahead of schedule, and successfully achieved the goal of promotion.
In the last battle, the Chinese team defeated the Spanish team 4-1 and won the World Championship Division B Group A championship with a complete victory record, and was successfully promoted to the group.
Next year, the Chinese men's ice hockey team will participate in the World Championships Class A Group B competition.
Ye Jinguang, the captain of the Chinese men's ice hockey team, said after winning the championship that he was very excited and proud that the Chinese team could win the championship. He has been training and competing with his teammates for five or six years, and everyone's efforts have paid off.
"We still have a lot of work to do to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics." Ye Jinguang has set his sights on Milan.
Team leader Wang Xuan applauded the team's performance in the World Championships, "Our team is very united, brave to fight, and the game has shown style and level. The whole game went relatively smoothly, and the promotion from Class B Group A to Class A was successfully completed. The task of Group B." Talking about the next Olympic cycle, Wang Xuan said: "The team must prepare seriously from now on, and strive to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics."
European and American teams still occupy the mainstream of the international men's ice hockey world. Not only are the Winter Olympics basically monopolized by European and American teams, but there are only a few teams from other continents in the senior group of the World Championships.
Kazakhstan is the highest ranked non-European and American team in the world, currently ranked 15th, and is the only non-European team in the top group of the World Championships.
In Group A, except for the South Korean team, the other four teams are all European teams. In recent years, the South Korean team has greatly increased its strength by preparing for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and currently ranks 20th in the world.
The World Championship Class A Group B competition also ended recently. Poland, Japan and Ukraine ranked first, second and third place.
In next year's World Championships, there will be two Asian teams in Group A and B.
At present, the Polish team in this group ranks the highest in the world, ranking 22nd, and the Japanese team ranks 25th. After the training of the Winter Olympics and the World Championships, the Chinese team has maintained a strong upward momentum and will achieve better results in this group. exercise opportunities.
Our reporter Tian Jie