Slovak Ice-hockey Team Qualifies for Olympics after Beating Kazakhstan 3:1
The Slovak ice-hockey team has made it to the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, after beating Kazakhstan 3:1 in the decisive match of the final Olympic qualification tournament in Bratislava on Sunday (September 1) evening.
Bratislava, September 2 (TASR) - The Slovak ice-hockey team has made it to the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, after beating Kazakhstan 3:1 in the decisive match of the final Olympic qualification tournament in Bratislava on Sunday (September 1) evening.
Thanks to previously defeating Hungary and Austria as well, the Slovak team won Group D without dropping a single point.
This success will probably motivate Canadian couch Craig Ramsay to lead the team into the Olympics, even though his contract only lasts until the end of next season. Following the Bratislava tournament, he stated that he "wants to be there at the spectacular tournament in 2026 in Milan".
The national team's general manager Miroslav Satan expressed his satisfaction with the team's physical and mental performance. After the tournament, he revealed that Slovakia will apply to organise the World Ice-hockey Championship in 2029.
The Slovak ice-hockey players will take part in the Winter Olympics for the seventh time in the history of the independent Slovakia. Their best performance so far was in Beijing in 2022, when they won the bronze medal.
