The RIHF signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Turkish Ice Hockey Federation

A memorandum of cooperation was signed in Tula between the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) and the Turkish Ice Hockey Federation (TIHF) on May 9th.

This agreement provides for various forms of cooperation such as staging joint events, friendly matches at international level, exhibition games with the participation of clubs, competitions between youth teams, conferences and seminars for the coaches and managers of ice hockey clubs in order to exchange experiences and develop professional skills, constant informational cooperation in all areas of activity and much more.

In particular, the RIHF expressed its readiness to send coaches to Turkey to conduct training sessions for ice hockey clubs and improve the qualifications of Turkish coaches by conducting presentations of the Red Machine National Development Program. Furthermore, the RIHF is also prepared to provide assistants to the TIHF concerning the creation and implementation of refereeing development programs.

The memorandum was signed by Vladislav Tretiak and Halit Albayrak, the two respective presidents of the ice hockey federations.

President of the RIHF Vladislav Tretiak:

- Ice hockey in our country boasts a rich history of victories, we boast plenty of experience when it concerns how to train players of the top level, successful coaches qualified referees, methodists and specialists for working with children. The RIHF is constantly developing and implementing different innovations. One example is the Red Machine National Development Program, which contains effective methods which consequently allow for the mass development of players of high quality. We're open to cooperation with friendly countries and are happy to share our experiences with colleagues from overseas. I'm happy that interest in ice hockey is growing in Turkey, we can see just how our partners are enthusiastic and interested. I am convinced that our cooperation will be productive and will have a positive effect on the development of international ice hockey. The more competitive teams we have, the better it is for international tournaments. Our Turkish colleagues can count on our assistance and support in all areas of work. I'm sure that the Russian experience of winning and working systematically will help them.

First Vice President of the RIHF Roman Rotenberg:

- Turkey is a leading sporting superpower, they're leaders when it comes to football, basketball, volleyball and many other sports. It's great that interest is also being shown in ice hockey. I'm convinced that their cooperation with Russia will allow Turkey to become a leader in ice hockey too. In order to attract an audience and start taking steps forward, you have to start with children. A training system needs to be put into place with tournaments for young players. Russia boasts huge experience in this field, and we can help create a full ice hockey vertical for our Turkish colleagues. Our coaches can work in Turkey, improve their learning system and take their work with junior players to the next level. We also discussed the possibility of organising different tournaments, including those at international level. There is a wonderful arena in Istanbul with fantastic ice and good infrastructure for training and playing in matches. Our cooperation will cover many areas. Russia are world leaders in ice hockey, and we're happy to have the opportunity to assist Turkey in developing and reaching the next level.

President of the TIHF Halit Albayrak:

- For our ice hockey, cooperation with Russia is an important step which creates the opportunity for a breakthrough in development. Our countries are in good relations, and I hope that our federations will also be happy working with each other. There were only two ice rinks in Turkey 20 years ago, but now we possess 25 arenas of a high quality which can host any professional competition. We're investing a lot in the development of our infrastructure and work with athletes, and now the development of ice hockey in our country will speed up and become more effective.