Lake Walawi singer Albert Cerny with the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship mascots Tuk and Puk.
photo: Jiri Zerzon
The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship is ready to receive teams, fans and officials from around the world. This top-level event will be hosted by Ostrava and Trinec from 26 December 2019 to 5 January 2020.
“The IIHF World Junior Championship is one of the most important events in the world of hockey – in terms of importance, it ranks behind the Olympic Games and the World Championship. We are glad to see that Czech fans perceive it in the same way. The number of sold tickets indicates that the championship will have a great audience backdrop, and we are really happy about it,” said the President of the Czech Ice Hockey Association, Tomas Kral. “After a year and a half of intense preparations, the organising team is in the finishing line and I am happy we can say: We are ready.”
Official song, original medals, and two mascots
The official song of the championship performed by the Lake Malawi music band will certainly add to the positive atmosphere of the championship. A successful Czech music band from Trinec, after agreement with the organisers, modified one of their biggest hits “Friend of a Friend” to a hockey version. “Every top-level event has its own official song and we also wanted the fans to have a musical identifier with the event. Therefore, we are glad that the Lake Malawi band agreed with the cooperation offer – they come from the region and belong to the group of young dynamic music bands. Basically, they represent junior hockey in the music industry. We believe that the fans will like they hockey version of Friend of a Friend,” explained Marketa Sterbova, General Secretary of 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship Organizing Committee.
“I have been a hockey fan since I was little boy. I was attending the games in Trinec and collecting cards. I used to play on the playground behind our house with the boys. I am proud that we can introduce ourselves to the hockey fans from all over the world with Lake Malawi music band,” added Albert Cerny, singer from Lake Malawi.
Less than one year ago, the song “Friend of a Friend” won the Eurovision Song CZ competition and represented the Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 where it was voted into the Grand Final and finished in 11th place. Watch the teaser for the World Juniors version:
“The IIHF World Junior Championship is one of the most important events in the world of hockey – in terms of importance, it ranks behind the Olympic Games and the World Championship. We are glad to see that Czech fans perceive it in the same way. The number of sold tickets indicates that the championship will have a great audience backdrop, and we are really happy about it,” said the President of the Czech Ice Hockey Association, Tomas Kral. “After a year and a half of intense preparations, the organising team is in the finishing line and I am happy we can say: We are ready.”
Official song, original medals, and two mascots
The official song of the championship performed by the Lake Malawi music band will certainly add to the positive atmosphere of the championship. A successful Czech music band from Trinec, after agreement with the organisers, modified one of their biggest hits “Friend of a Friend” to a hockey version. “Every top-level event has its own official song and we also wanted the fans to have a musical identifier with the event. Therefore, we are glad that the Lake Malawi band agreed with the cooperation offer – they come from the region and belong to the group of young dynamic music bands. Basically, they represent junior hockey in the music industry. We believe that the fans will like they hockey version of Friend of a Friend,” explained Marketa Sterbova, General Secretary of 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship Organizing Committee.
“I have been a hockey fan since I was little boy. I was attending the games in Trinec and collecting cards. I used to play on the playground behind our house with the boys. I am proud that we can introduce ourselves to the hockey fans from all over the world with Lake Malawi music band,” added Albert Cerny, singer from Lake Malawi.
Less than one year ago, the song “Friend of a Friend” won the Eurovision Song CZ competition and represented the Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 where it was voted into the Grand Final and finished in 11th place. Watch the teaser for the World Juniors version:
The best teams will get original hand-made medals from architect and designer maker Oldrich Sladek. Each one consists from seven layers: six layers of steel sheets, each laser-cut into a different shape, between which a rubber-textile ribbon is inserted. All seven layers are connected together by brass nits. The medals measure 60 millimetres on average and their width is half a centimetre.
The two mascots Tuk and Puk will be in charge of entertaining the fans. They are two Czech lions, which the Czech Ice Hockey Association has been using as national team mascots for a long time now. They changed their jerseys for the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and changed their player numbers – both start with number 20 on their back.
The two mascots Tuk and Puk will be in charge of entertaining the fans. They are two Czech lions, which the Czech Ice Hockey Association has been using as national team mascots for a long time now. They changed their jerseys for the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and changed their player numbers – both start with number 20 on their back.