ÖEHV state­ment: Concerning trend caused by ice rink closures

Closures are gradually depriving children, young people and adults of opportunities to take part in sport. The effects of a lack of exercise on public health have been widely documented and, in turn, place a financial burden on the healthcare system.

Last week, on 14 January, Sport Austria once again made it clear that any healthcare reform would fail without prevention. (Source: https://www.sportaustria.at/de/ueber-uns/aufgaben-und-geschaeftsstelle/presse/pressemeldungen/niessl-ohne-praevention-wird-jede-gesundheitsreform-scheitern)

In recent months, the planned closure of the Frohnleiten ice rink after this season, as well as the closure of the Mödling skating rink, have attracted attention. The ice rink in Radenthein, which had only opened in 2008, was closed again as early as 2023.

For years, the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation has been working to introduce children to ice hockey at an early age through recruitment projects such as “PEER – Programme for the Development of Ice Hockey Regions”. And with great success. Across the 2022/2023, 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons, a total of 657 children were introduced to ice hockey. As a result, ÖEHV gained 115 new members.

However, current developments risk undermining efforts to encourage children to take up sport.

For years, the governing body has called for infrastructure to be improved. The Federal Performance Centre for women’s ice hockey is currently being built in Villach. Thanks to private initiative, an ice rink was built in Ferlach in 2021, followed by a second in 2024. Aside from that, domestic infrastructure is ageing.

A look at the completion dates of all ice rinks and ice surfaces in Austria’s top three men’s leagues – the win2day ICE Hockey League, ALPS Hockey League and Ö Eishockey Liga – shows that the Sportpark Kitzbühel was the last new ice rink to open, more than 19 years ago. The oldest ice surface, at Vienna’s Heumarkt, is already 125 years old.

Between 1959 and 1977, no fewer than nine ice rinks opened within 18 years. The 80s saw the addition of today’s STEFFL Arena (construction began in 1989, opening in 1995), the LINZ AG Eisarena, and the ice rinks in Gmunden and Hohenems.

The most recent investment in ice-rink infrastructure came around the 2005 World Championship, which was held in Vienna and Innsbruck. The TIWAG Arena was built in Innsbruck, while the Eisarena Kufstein opened in 2005 and the Sportpark Kitzbühel in 2006.

Radenthein received its own ice rink in 2008, where the U18 Women’s World Championship Division IB was still held in September 2022. However, its doors have been closed again since 2023.

Ferlach and Villach stand out positively. A year-round ice rink opened in Ferlach in 2021, followed by a second in 2024. This was made possible, among other things, by a private investor. In Villach, the foundation stone for the Federal Performance Centre for women was laid in June 2025. Completion is planned for 2026.

A considerable amount of private money was also invested in 2022/2023 in the redevelopment of EC-KAC’s home venue. The Heidi-Horten-Arena was completely renovated. The arena itself was built in 1959.

Added to this is a situation affecting many sports: Austria does not have a multi-purpose arena with 15.000 seats or more, although this is now required by a number of international federations to host major events. Hopes rest on the planned arena at Neu Marx in Vienna. It is currently unknown when construction will begin. The City of Vienna’s website lists “concept development” under the “Status” section.

Speaking of Vienna: the ice surface at Heumarkt was built as early as 1901.

IIHF initiative SMALL ICE to be promoted
In January 2023, the then U16 men’s ice hockey national team took part in the 3x3 competition at the Youth Olympic Games in Korea. This is a new format that was first played at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne (SUI). 3 outfield players plus a goalkeeper play against 3 across the width of the ice.

One approach being pursued by ÖEHV, which has already been discussed with State Secretary for Sport Michaela Schmidt, is to promote this format. Austria wants to take on a pioneering role in this regard, provided the appropriate infrastructure is in place.

As early as 2018, ÖEHV, under the leadership of Peter Andrecs, developed a concept stating that ice surfaces equivalent to one-third of a rink are sufficient for youth recruitment measures. The advantages are:

• Significantly less space required
• Less stringent construction requirements (parking spaces, etc.)
• Significantly lower planning and construction costs
• Easier financing – lower investor risk
• Lower operating costs
• Simpler utilisation options
• And much more.

A quotation obtained at the time showed that, for the cost of one large arena, around 20 such small arenas could be built. This, in turn, would mean seven times the surface area.

Adjusted for inflation, the estimated cost of an ice facility including an ice resurfacing machine for an ice surface on which the 3x3 format can be played is approximately € 283.000.

Due to the smaller ice surface, the ongoing costs borne by the respective municipality would subsequently also be significantly lower. With 20 to 25 such smaller ice arenas, or outdoor facilities, there would be a genuine prospect for domestic ice hockey as well as other sports. Existing arenas could also benefit from these small arenas:

• More children would join the clubs based there
• There would be more training slots for those age groups and teams that require the full ice surface
• Instead of youth training sessions, ice time in the large arenas could increasingly be used for matches and tournaments
• This, in turn, would bring more people into the arenas than training sessions do
• Positive effects for catering
• Better marketing opportunities for ice arena operators

PondHockey tournament at Weissensee leads the way
From 16 to 18 January 2026, Weissensee hosted the first international PondHockey tournament to be held on such smaller ice surfaces. Around 1.000 participants and 2.000 spectators ensured that the tournament was a complete success both in sporting and tourism terms. ÖEHV's leadership, including President Klaus Hartmann, Vice-President Nicolas Stockhammer, Sporting Director Roger Bader and Managing Director Alexander Helwig, also took part in the tournament.

Positive effects on the healthcare system
The importance of regular physical activity for health has been demonstrated in numerous studies. The positive effects of exercise can be seen in relation to the cardiovascular system, respiration, digestion and metabolism, the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, immune system, hormonal system and mental health. However, physical health represents only a fraction of what exercise and physical activity can achieve. Other areas that determine human wellbeing, such as emotions, social capital and intelligence, are also positively influenced by exercise.

Why physical activity provision must be further expanded: physical inactivity in Austria already poses a risk to prosperity! The resulting annual costs now amount to € 2,4 billion (figures from SportsEconAustria)! Sport and exercise already avoid healthcare costs of € 527 million per year. If the number of people in Austria who get sufficient exercise (150 minutes/week) could be increased by 10%, further annual savings of € 120 million would be possible.

(Sources: https://www.sportaustria.at/de/interessenvertretung-und-sportpolitik/gesundheitsmotor-sport / https://www.sportaustria.at/de/ueber-uns/aufgaben-und-geschaeftsstelle/presse/pressemeldungen2014-2023/warum-in-das-gesundheitssystem-mehr-bewegung-kommen-muss )

The Austrian Ice Hockey Federation is calling on politicians at every level to counter the current “dying off” of ice rinks, for the benefit of public health and so that successes such as those achieved by the national teams in recent years can continue to be celebrated in the future.

In the words of Molière: “We are responsible not only for what we do, but also for what we do not do.”