Offi­cial ÖEHV state­ment on comments made by indi­vidual men’s national team players in an inter­view

Following the quarter-final exit against Switzerland on Thursday evening in Herning, players from the Austrian national team expressed their dissatisfaction with certain financial and structural matters concerning ÖEHV and its Executive Board. It is possible that emotions ran high after the game and that comments made in front of live cameras were influenced by adrenaline. In addition, negative media coverage in recent weeks concerning the association’s management, which unfortunately also accompanied this enormously successful tournament, may have been an additional factor.

Irrespective of this, the Austrian Ice Hockey Association values the commitment of the players to our sport at every level and is always prepared to engage in an open and clarifying discussion with the players.

At the same time, certain statements included claims that require clarification:

• At no point did the association lack either the funds or the willingness to send a team doctor for the entire duration of the respective team camp.
• In the youth sector, the summer camps were cancelled for financial reasons in 2024. In summer 2025, they will again be held across all youth categories. As a temporary compromise solution, a contribution towards costs will be retained, which is standard international practice.
• In the upcoming 2025/2026 season, starting with the summer camps, all team camps across every age category will be held. Contrary to the claim that ÖEHV is cancelling team camps in the youth sector, the so-called action programme will once again be implemented in full.

As has always been communicated openly and transparently in the past, ÖEHV has for some time been working intensively, including in cooperation with professional external partners, to market the achievements of its national teams appropriately and attract more sponsors in order to further improve the conditions at every level.

Since the Executive Board led by Dr. Klaus Hartmann took office in summer 2020, many of the election promises made have been successfully implemented, despite the challenging times of the coronavirus pandemic and difficult economic conditions in Austria and across Europe. These include the new squad regulation, AKES (training-cost compensation system), the return of the youth leagues to ÖEHV responsibility, the introduction of the Youth Training and Development Director role, and the new training concept, “Rot-Weiß-Rote Faden”.

The association’s leadership in particular is continuously committed, using all available resources and implementing targeted measures on an ongoing basis to create the best possible structural conditions for the sustainable success of ice hockey in Austria.