Back to news

Press conference – Inauguration of the 2026 World Championship / Events & Legacy, Fribourg-Switzerland Association

As the smallest city in history to host an IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in the 21st century, Fribourg (Switzerland) has decided to join forces. The City of Fribourg, the State and the Fribourg-Gottéron ice hockey club will collaborate under a single banner, that of the 2026 World Championship / Events & Legacy, Fribourg-Switzerland Association.

Gathered in front of the press on 31 January 2024, the Committee and the director of the Association presented the structure, as well as the functioning and objectives of the new entity, whose main actors are as follows:

Committee

President	Romain Collaud
Vice-Presidents	Pierre-Olivier Nobs, Yvan Haymoz

Management office

Director	Marc-André Berset (FG)
Office members	Benoît Gisler (State), John Gobbi (FG), Olivier Kämpfen (State), Luc Mory (City)
Project coordinator	Samuel Jungo (City)

Get to know the members

Supporting the Organising Committee

The Association promotes several objectives, most of which are usually assigned to the Host City of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. The primary mission is to support the Organising Committee in hosting the competition. Another priority is to make the tournament accessible to everyone: while the pricing policy is not within the Association’s remit, its goal is nevertheless to help attract as many spectators as possible to the ice rink, thus creating a welcoming atmosphere for the teams hosted in Fribourg.

Furthermore, the Association aims to showcase Fribourg’s image as a city and canton capable of attracting major international events and boasting numerous tourist and gastronomic attractions. The members of the Association are convinced of the region’s enthusiasm for organising the biggest sporting event in its history.

Finally, promoting sports across all segments of the population is also a fundamental cross-cutting value of the Association.

Several projects

In this perspective, a number of projects will be implemented to unite the population of Fribourg, the French-speaking part of Switzerland and all the country’s sports enthusiasts.

Here are just a few examples: a mobile synthetic ice rink that will travel around the canton for two years, a web series showcasing hockey, and a comic featuring local artists like Alex. A number of other projects are also in the pipeline.

The Association will also be promoting a policy of sustainable development in all its activities. Various initiatives have already been undertaken in this regard.

It is with great enthusiasm and anticipation that the 2026 World Championship / Events & Legacy, Fribourg-Switzerland Association is embarking on this great adventure. The inauguration of the countdown held on 2 Februar 2024 in the Fair-Play square in Fribourg attests this. The Association would like to thank the Organising Committee of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland and looks forward to their future collaboration.

Special jersey on 2 February 2024

To mark the launch of the Association with the public, a launch ceremony will be held on the occasion of the match between Fribourg-Gottéron and Zurich on 2 February 2024, culminating in the presentation of a special jersey designed for the occasion. It will also be a unique opportunity to introduce Zurich, the other Host City for the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. We warmly invite spectators not to miss this essential event and to take their seats in the stands from 7.30pm.