U20 World Cham­pi­onship: Simon Riecken makes first appear­ance in SVK vs. SUI

"It is a great honour to be part of this top event. The anticipation is huge," Simon Riecken reports from Sweden's second-largest city. The ÖEHV Officiating Coordinator has been in Gothenburg since Saturday, where the U20 World Championship can be seen and felt almost everywhere: "You immediately noticed upon arrival that the entire city is behind this World Championship. The whole organisation is fantastic, and you meet fans from every participating nation throughout the city. It is great to be able to represent Austria."

Simon Riecken wants to do that as well as possible and put himself forward for further assignments: "I will give it my all in every game and absorb as much as possible from my colleagues, as some of the world's best officials are on duty here. I want to take these experiences home with me and pass them on as effectively as possible. As with the teams, my goal is to go as far as possible."

The linesman expects a fast-paced game between Slovakia and Switzerland. The Slovaks had already made a statement with their 6:2 win in their opening game against the Czech Republic. And you can tell in every second of the game that a lot is at stake for the young talents.

Hungary, Slovenia, Great Britain, Serbia

In mid-December, three Austrian officials – Christian Ofner, Patrick Fichtner and Andreas Huber – were in action as referees at the U20 World Championship Division IA, IB and IIA. Christoph Bärnthaler gained experience in Belgrade (SRB) in Group M in Round 2 of Olympic qualifying.

Kainberger and Wacik preparing for U18 Women's World Championship

From 6 to 14 January, Julia Kainberger will be at the U18 Women's World Championship in Zug, Switzerland. In April, she will also officiate several games at the Women's World Championship Top Division.

Her officiating colleague Hannah-Sophie Wacik will be in action as a lineswoman at the U18 Women's World Championship Division IIB in Sofia (BUL) from 8 to 14 January.

Overview of Austrian officials' assignments