Para national team begins World Cham­pi­onship prepa­ra­tions at the Olomouc Cup 2024 this weekend

Austria's Para ice hockey national team begins its preparations in the Czech Republic for the 2024 World Para Ice Hockey Championships C-Pool, which will take place in Bangkok from 26 November to 30 November 2024. The ÖEHV selection will face hosts Thailand, Finland and Australia there. 

At the now traditional Olomouc Cup, Austria will first face SOHO Olomouc from the Czech Republic, the Czech Junior Team and, finally, Rennes Cormorans from France in the group stage at the Zimní stadion Olomouc. The aim is to finish in the top two and thus reach the semi-finals. Group B features the South Tyrol Eagles (ITA), Team Kazakhstan, Para Hockey Finland and Para Hockey Havířov.

Head coach Lucas Herrnegger wants to develop his team further

Para hockey head coach Lucas Herrneggerexpects difficult games and hopes his team will continue to develop overall: "The two Czech teams are certainly much stronger than us. We believe we have a chance against the French team, and we need to beat them. It will also be a benchmark for the World Championship. It is important to me that the team continues to develop. We have only had one team camp in Villach this year, but the training sessions were very good and we had a total of 13 players there, more than ever before. Now we will see how we perform in the Czech Republic!"

Olomouc (Olmütz) is located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic, in Moravia. The city of Olomouc was one of the most important cities in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Thanks to its favourable location, its old university and its cultural and religious traditions, the city was the natural centre of Moravia for centuries.

Olomouc's historic city centre, dominated by the Holy Trinity Column, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the Czech Republic's second most important heritage conservation area after Prague. Matches will be played at the Zimní stadion Olomouc, a multi-purpose arena in the Nová Ulice district which holds around 5.500 fans and has been home to HC Olomouc since 1948.

Olomouc Cup 2024

Schedule

SOHO Olomouc vs. Para Team Austria

Fri, 30 August 2024, 16:45

Czech Junior Team vs. Para Team Austria

Sat, 31 August 2024, 08:00

Para Team Austria vs. Rennes Cormorans

Sat, 31 August 2024, 13:30

Cross-over and placement games, Sun, 01 September 2024

08:00: Semi-final 1 (1st in Group A vs. 2nd in Group B)

09:15: Semi-final 2 (1nd in Group B vs. 2nd in Group A)

10:45: Match for 7th place (4th in Group A vs. 4th in Group B)

12:00: Match for 5th place (3rd in Group A vs. 3rd in Group B)

13:30: Match for 3rd place

15:00: Final

Para National Team squad