The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and maintains the international ice hockey rulebook, processes international player transfers, dictates officiating guidelines and is responsible for the management of international ice hockey tournaments. The IIHF was created on 15 May 1908, under the name (in French) Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG).[1] Belgium, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) were the founding members. The IIHF was composed entirely of European teams until 1920, when Canada and the United States joined.
As of October 2023, the IIHF has 82 members.[2] Puerto Rico is the newest member, joining on 29 September 2022.[3]
There are three levels of membership in the IIHF. The highest level, IIHF Full Members, are nations that have their own independent ice hockey association and regularly participate in IIHF-sanctioned World Championships. The second level, IIHF Associate Members, either do not have their own independent ice hockey association or have one, but do not meet their minimum participation standards in the IIHF World Championships. The third level, IIHF Affiliate Members, is for nations that only participate in the now-defunct Inline Hockey World Championships. The federation has 60 full members, (including two suspended members), 21 associate members and one affiliate member. Full Members can vote in IIHF Congresses, while Associate and Affiliate Members cannot.[4]
In 2023, 55 IIHF members participated in the Men's World Championships and 41 participated in the Women's World Championships.
Members
| IIHF World Ranking information is accurate as of 28 August 2023. | |
| In the Teams column | |
|---|---|
| Text in boldface indicates that the team participated in its corresponding event in 2019. | |
| M | Men's Ice Hockey World Championships |
| M-U20 | World Junior Championships |
| M-U18 | World Under-18 Championships |
| W | World Women's Championships |
| W-U18 | World Women's Under-18 Championships |
| Inline | Inline Hockey World Championships (defunct) |
Full members
^ A. Austria was expelled from the IIHF in 1920, then re-admitted on January 24, 1924. It was again expelled in 1939 and re-admitted on 27 April 1946.[63]
^ B. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association withdrew from the LIHG on 13 April 1944,[64] then rejoined on 22 March 1947, as part of the merger with the International Ice Hockey Association.[65]
^ C. The IIHF recognizes Bohemia, which joined in 1908, and Czechoslovakia as the predecessors to the Czech Republic, which officially became a member in 1993.
^ D. In 1940, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were annexed by the Soviet Union. Their membership expired on 27 April 1946. The three nations were re-admitted into the IIHF on 6 May 1992.[66][67][68]
^ E. Germany was expelled in 1920, then re-admitted on January 11, 1926. It was again expelled on 27 April 1946. West Germany and East Germany were admitted into the IIHF in 1951 and 1954, respectively. Following their reunification, Germany was re-admitted into the IIHF on 3 October 1990.[69]
^ F. Japan was expelled from the IIHF on 27 April 1946, then re-admitted on 10 March 1951.[70]
^ G. Kuwait had originally joined the IIHF in 1985, but was expelled in 1992 due to a lack of ice hockey activity.
^ H. The IIHF recognizes the Soviet Union, which joined in 1952, as the predecessor to Russia, which officially became a member in 1992.
^ I. The IIHF recognizes Yugoslavia, which joined in 1939, as the predecessor to Serbia, which officially became a member on 28 September 2006.
^ J. On 22 March 1947, the LIHG chose to recognize the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States instead of the Amateur Athletic Union as the governing body of ice hockey in the United States, as part of the merger with the International Ice Hockey Association.[65]
Associate and affiliate members
| Nation | Date joined | Organization | President | Teams | Men's Ranking | Women's Ranking | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria | 26 September 2019 | Hockey Algeria | Karim Kerbouche | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [71] |
 Andorra | 4 May 1995 | Andorran Federation of Ice Sports | Josep Garcia | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [72] |
 Argentina | 31 May 1998 | Argentine Association of Ice and In-Line Hockey | Jorge Haiek | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [73] |
 Armenia[K] | 22 September 1999 | Ice Hockey Federation of Armenia | Vahram Sargsyan | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [74] |
 Brazil | 26 June 1984 | Brazilian Ice Sports Federation | Matheus Figueiredo | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [75] |
 Chile(affiliate member) | 22 September 1999 | Chilean Ice and Inline Hockey Federation | Mónica Arias | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [76] |
 Colombia | 26 September 2019 | Colombian Ice Hockey Federation | Daniel Fierro Torres | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [77] |
 Greece | 29 April 1987 | Hellenic Winter Sports Federation | Georgios Nikitidis | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [78] |
 Indonesia | 20 May 2016 | Indonesia Ice Hockey Federation | Ronald Situmeang | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | 58 | — | [79] |
 Jamaica | 18 May 2012 | Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation | Don Anderson | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [80] |
 Lebanon | 26 September 2019 | Lebanese Ice Hockey Federation | Charles El-Mir | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [81] |
 Liechtenstein | 4 October 2001 | Liechtenstein Ice Hockey Federation | Karl Otto Gämperli & Silke Bernard | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [82] |
 Macau | 12 May 2005 | Macau Ice Sports Federation | Chan Kwan Fai | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [83] |
 Morocco | 22 May 2010 | Royal Moroccan Ice Hockey Federation | Khalid Mrini | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [84] |
 Nepal | 20 May 2016 | Nepal Ice Hockey Association | Bhuwan Pathak | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [85] |
 North Macedonia | 4 October 2001 | Macedonian Ice Hockey Federation | Nikola Tasev | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [86] |
 Oman | 24 May 2014 | Oman Ice Sports Committee | Said Ali Hassan Al-Zaabi | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [87] |
 Portugal | 13 May 1999 | Portuguese Winter Sports Federation | Pedro Miguel dos Santos Farromba | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [88] |
 Puerto Rico | 29 September 2022 | Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association | Scott Vargas | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [89] |
 Qatar | 18 May 2012 | Qatar Winter Sports Committee | Rashed Majed Al-Sulaiti | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [90] |
 Tunisia | 22 September 2021 | Tunisian Ice Hockey Association | Ihab Ayed | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [91] |
 Uzbekistan | 26 September 2019 | Uzbekistan Ice Hockey Federation | Bakhtiyor Fazilov | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | — | — | [92] |
^ K. Armenia was suspended by the IIHF in April 2010 for use of ineligible players on their national team that participated in the 2010 IIHF World Championship Division III Group B in Yerevan, Armenia.[93] The suspension was lifted in 2015.[94]
Suspended members
| Nation | Date joined | Organization | President | Teams | Men's Ranking | Women's Ranking | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belarus[L] | 6 May 1992 | Belarusian Ice Hockey Association | Alexander Bogdanovich | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | 14 | — | [95] |
 Russia[L] | 1 April 1952[H] | Ice Hockey Federation of Russia | Vladislav Tretiak | M, M-U20, M-U18, W, W-U18, inline | 3 | 6 | [96] |
^ L. Russia and Belarus were suspended indefinitely by the IIHF on 28 February 2022 from competing in the IIHF World Championship because of their invasion of Ukraine.
Former members
| Nation | Date joined IIHF | Date left IIHF | Organization | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bohemia | 15 November 1908[97] | 26 April 1920[98] | Bohemian Hockey Union | Membership rights transferred to Czechoslovakia. |
 Czechoslovakia | 26 April 1920[98] | 31 December 1992[99] | Czechoslovak Hockey Union | Membership rights transferred to the Czech Republic. |
 East Germany | 9 June 1954[69] | 3 October 1990[69] | German Ice Skating Federation of the GDR | Reunification of East and West Germany. |
 Moldova | 20 May 2008 | 2023[100] | National Ice Hockey Federation of the Republic of Moldova | Membership ended following a prolonged lack of ice hockey activity. |
 Namibia | 31 May 1998 | 19 May 2017[101] | Namibia Ice and InLine Hockey Association | Withdrew from IIHF affiliate membership due to a lack of ice hockey activity. Namibia still maintains an inline hockey national team and is a member of World Skate. |
 Oxford Canadians | 17 February 1911[102] | 1914[103] | Oxford Canadians Ice Hockey Club | Club ceased to exist following the outbreak of World War I. Canada later joined the IIHF in 1920. |
| Russian Empire | 17 February 1911[97] | 1911[104] | All-Russian Hockey Union | Expelled shortly after joining. Federation dissolved and would not rejoin until 1952 as the Soviet Union. |
 Soviet Union | 1 April 1952 | 6 May 1992[105] | Soviet Union Ice Hockey Federation | Membership rights transferred to Russia. |
 West Germany | 10 March 1951[69] | 3 October 1990[69] | German Ice Hockey Federation | Reunification of East and West Germany, membership rights transferred to Germany. |
 Yugoslavia | 1 January 1939 | 31 December 1992[99] | Ice Hockey Federation of Yugoslavia | Membership rights transferred to Serbia after the breakup of Yugoslavia. |
References
Bibliography
- Podnieks, Andrew, ed. (2010). IIHF Media Guide & Record Book 2011. Nordmark, Birger (contributing editor). Toronto: Moydart Press. ISBN 978-0-9867964-0-1.
External links
- Official website of the International Ice Hockey Federation