The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line 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 May 15, 1908, under the name (in French) Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LHG).[1] Belgium, France, Great Britain, Switzerland and Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) were the founding members. The IIHF was comprised entirely of European teams until 1920, when Canada and the United States joined.
Under the IIHF, there are three levels for member organizations. The highest level, and the only one in which members can vote at IIHF Congresses, is IIHF Full Member. These nations have their own independent hockey association, and regularly participate in the various IIHF-sanctioned World Championships. IIHF Associate Members is the second level. These nations either do not have their own independent hockey association, or have one, but have limited participation in the World Championships. The third category, IIHF Affiliate Member, is for nations that only participate in the InLine Hockey World Championships.[2]
As of 2010, there are 69 members: 51 full members, 15 associate members and 3 affiliate members. Morocco, which joined on May 22, 2010, is the newest member. In 2010, 48 members participated in the Men's World Championships, and 20 participated in the Women's World Championships.
Members[]
| IIHF World Ranking information is accurate as of 2010. | |
| In the Teams column | |
| Text in boldface indicates that that team participated in its corresponding event in 2010. | |
| M | Men's Ice Hockey World Championships |
|---|---|
| M-U20 | World Under-20 Championships |
| M-U18 | World Under-18 Championships |
| W | World Women Championships |
| W-U18 | World Women's Under-18 Championships |
| inline | InLine Hockey World Championship |
IIHF Full Members[]
| Nation | Date joined | Organization | President | Teams | Men's
Ranking |
Women's
Ranking |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | February 11, 1938 | Ice Hockey Australia | Don Rurak | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 34 | 25 | |
| Austria | March 18, 1912 | Austrian Ice Hockey Association | Dieter Kalt | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 14 | 16 | |
| Azerbaijan | May 6, 1992 | Ice Hockey Federation of the Republic of Azerbaijan | Vagif D. Mussayev | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | _ | _ | |
| Belarus | May 6, 1992 | Belarus Ice Hockey Federation | Evgeny Vorsin | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 10 | _ | |
| Belgium | December 8, 1908 | Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation | Pascal Nuchelmans | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 36 | 26 | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | May 8, 2001 | Bosnia and Herzegovina Ice Hockey Federation | Haris Muhic | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 48 | _ | |
| Bulgaria | July 25, 1960 | Bulgarian Ice Hockey Federation | Krasimir Krastev | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 31 | 24 | |
| Canada | April 26, 1920 | Hockey Canada | Bob Nicholson | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 2 | 1 | |
| China | July 25, 1963 | Chinese Ice Hockey Association | Wang Yitao | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 37 | 7 | |
| Chinese Taipei | September 1, 1983 | Chinese Taipei Ice Hockey Federation | Wen-Jun Pai | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | _ | _ | |
| Croatia | May 6, 1992 | Croatian Ice Hockey Federation | Nikola Švigir | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 26 | 20 | |
| Czech Republic | November 15, 1908[A] | Czech Ice Hockey Association | Tomáš Král | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 5 | 13 | |
| Denmark | April 27, 1946 | Danmarks Ishockey Union | Henrik Bach Nielsen | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 13 | 22 | |
| Estonia | February 17, 1935[B] | Estonian Ice Hockey Association | Priit Vilba | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 27 | 33 | |
| Finland | February 10, 1928 | Finnish Ice Hockey Association | Kalervo Kummola | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 4 | 3 | |
| France | October 20, 1908 | French Ice Hockey Federation | Luc Tardif | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 15 | 14 | |
| Germany | September 19, 1909 | German Ice Hockey Federation | Uwe Harnos | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 9 | 11 | |
| Great Britain | November 19, 1908 | Ice Hockey UK | Eamon Convery | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 23 | 18 | |
| Hong Kong | April 30, 1983 | Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association | Siu Yin Yip | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | _ | _ | |
| Hungary | January 24, 1927 | Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation | Ferenc Studniczky | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 20 | 27 | |
| Iceland | May 6, 1992 | Ice Hockey Iceland | Vidar Gardarsson | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 38 | 29 | |
| India | April 27, 1989 | Ice Hockey Association of India | K. L. Kumar | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | |
| Ireland | September 26, 1996 | Irish Ice Hockey Association | William Fay | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 41 | — | |
| Israel | May 1, 1991 | Israel Ice Hockey Federation | Sergei Matin | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 39 | — | |
| Italy | January 24, 1924 | Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio | Giancarlo Bolognini | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 16 | 17 | |
| Japan | January 26, 1930 | Japan Ice Hockey Federation | Kenichi Chizuka | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 21 | 9 | |
| Kazakhstan | May 6, 1992 | Kazakhstan Ice Hockey Federation | Askar Mamin | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 17 | 8 | |
| Latvia | February 22, 1931[B] | Latvian Ice Hockey Federation | Kirovs Lipmans | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 12 | 15 | |
| Lithuania | February 19, 1938[B] | Lithuanian Ice Hockey Federation | Petras Nauseda | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 24 | — | |
| Luxembourg | March 23, 1912 | Luxembourg Ice Hockey Federation | Rene Ludovicy | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 44 | — | |
| Mexico | April 30, 1985 | Federacion Deportiva de Mexico de Hockey sobre Hielo | Joaquin de la Garma | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 32 | — | |
| Mongolia | May 15, 1999 | Mongolian Ice Hockey Federation | Sumiya Ganjargal | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 46 | — | |
| Netherlands | January 20, 1935 | Netherlands Ice Hockey Association | Joop Vullers | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 25 | 23 | |
| New Zealand | May 2, 1977 | New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation | Grant Hay | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 40 | 30 | |
| North Korea | August 8, 1963 | Ice Hockey Association of the DPR Korea | Pak Song Nam | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 43 | 21 | |
| Norway | January 20, 1935 | Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation | Ole-Jacob Libaek | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 11 | 12 | |
| Poland | January 11, 1926 | Polish Ice Hockey Federation | Zdzislaw Ingielewicz | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 22 | — | |
| Romania | January 24, 1924 | Romanian Ice Hockey Federation | Barna Tanczos | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 28 | 31 | |
| Russia | January 1, 1952[C] | Ice Hockey Federation of Russia | Vladislav Tretiak | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 1 | 6 | |
| Serbia | January 1, 1939[D] | Serbian Ice Hockey Association | Nastas Andric | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 29 | — | |
| Slovakia | February 2, 1993 | Slovak Ice Hockey Federation | Juraj Siroky | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 8 | 10 | |
| Slovenia | May 6, 1992 | Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia | Ernest Aljancic, Jr. | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 19 | 19 | |
| South Africa | February 25, 1937 | South African Ice Hockey Association | Shane Marsh | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 42 | 32 | |
| South Korea | July 25, 1960 | Korea Ice Hockey Association | Kap Chul Park | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 33 | 28 | |
| Spain | March 10, 1923 | Spanish Ice Sports Federation | Maria Teresa Samaranch | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 30 | 99 | |
| Sweden | March 23, 1912 | Swedish Ice Hockey Association | Christer Englund | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 3 | 4 | |
| Switzerland | November 23, 1908 | Swiss Ice Hockey Association | Philippe Gaydoul | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 7 | 5 | |
| Thailand | April 27, 1989 | Ice Hockey Association of Thailand | Phisan Xupravatti | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | |
| Turkey | May 1, 1991 | Turkish Ice Hockey Federation | Akin Kilavuz | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 35 | 34 | |
| Ukraine | May 6, 1992 | Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine | Anatoliy Brezvin | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 18 | — | |
| United States | 1920 | USA Hockey | Ron DeGregorio | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 6 | 2 |
^ A. The IIHF recognizes Bohemia, which joined in 1908, and Czechoslovakia as the predecessors to the Czech Republic, which officially became a member in 1993.[14] ^ B. In 1940, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were annexed by the Soviet Union. The three nations re-joined the IIHF on May 1, 1991.[53] ^ C. The IIHF recognizes the Soviet Union, which joined in 1952, as the predecessor to Russia, which officially became a member in 1992.[40] ^ D. The IIHF recognizes Yugoslavia, which joined in 1939, as the predecessor to Serbia, which officially became a member in 2007.[41]
IIHF Associate Members[]
| Nation | Date joined | Organization | President | Teams | Men's
Ranking |
Women's
Ranking |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andorra | May 4 1995 | Andorran Federation of Ice Sports | Imma Ribes Sagues | M M-U20 M-U18 W W-U18 Inline | _ | — | — | |
| Brazil | June 26, 1984 | Brazilian Ice Sports Federation | Eric Maleson | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Georgia | May 8, 2009 | Georgian Ice Hockey Federation | Nugzar Paikidze | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Greece | April 29, 1987 | Hellenic Ice Sports Federation | Christos Chatziathanassiou | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 45 | — | ||
| Kuwait | May 8, 2009 | Kuwait Ice Hockey Association | Fahad Hamad Al Ajmi | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Liechtenstein | October 4, 2001 | Liechtenstein Ice Hockey Federation | Michael Zanghellini | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Macau | May 12, 2005 | Macau Ice Sports Federation | Andrew Chan Chak Mo | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Macedonia | October 4, 2001 | Macedonian Ice Hockey Federation | Nikola Tasev | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Malaysia | September 28, 2006 | Malaysia Ice Hockey Association | Dato Lee Hwa Beng | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Moldova | May 21, 2008 | National Ice Hockey Federation of Moldova | Andrei Gargalic | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Morocco | May 22, 2010 | Moroccan Ice Hockey Association | Mrini Khalid | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Portugal | May 13, 1999 | Federation of Portuguese Ice Sports | José Pinheiro de Almeida | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| Singapore | May 2, 1996 | Skating Federation of Singapore | James Kodrowski | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | — | — | ||
| United Arab Emirates | May 10, 2001 | UAE Ice Hockey Association | Ahmed Mubarak Al Mazrouei | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 47 | — |
Suspended members[]
Associate member Armenia was suspended indefinitely in May 2010 because the Armenian men's team is suspected of using several ineligible at the 2010 World Championship Division III tournament.
| Nation | Date joined | Organization | President | Teams | Men's
Ranking |
Women's
Ranking |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armenia | September 22, 1999 | Ice Hockey Federation of Armenia | Hayk Jaghatspanyan | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | 49 | — |
IIHF Affiliate Members[]
| Nation | Date joined | Organization | President | Teams | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | May 31, 1998 | Argentine Association of Ice and In-Line Hockey | Hector Iannicelli | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | |
| Chile | 2000 | National Association of Hockey on Ice and Inline | Nicolas Gomez Bermeosolo | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline | |
| Namibia | May 31, 1998 | Namibia Ice and InLine Hockey Association | Holger Mentzel | M · M-U20 · M-U18 · W · W-U18 · inline |
Former IIHF Members[]
| Nation | Date joined IIHF | Date left IIHF | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemia | November 15, 1908 | 1920 | Membership rights transferred to the newly established Czechoslovakia |
| Czechoslovakia | 1920 | December 31, 1992 | Membership rights transferred to the Czech Republic |
| East Germany | 1956 | 1990 | Reunification of East and West Germany |
| West Germany | 1956 | 1990 | Reunification of East and West Germany, membership transferred to Germany |
| Soviet Union | January 1, 1952 | May 6, 1992 | Membership rights transferred to Russia |
| January 1, 1939 | December 31, 1992 | Membership rights transferred to Serbia after split of Yugoslavia |