The events organized by the Czech Ball Hockey Federation are at the highest level, is pleased David Tor

The recently concluded ISBHF Masters World Championships offered the most attractive ball hockey spectacle! The ISBHF could not praise not only the organization, but also the sporting quality of the championship, including David Tor, the secretary of the ISBHF, who provide us an interview.

Among the other things, the secretary of the international federation ISBHF David Tor participated in the organization of the Masters category World hampionships in Kladno and Nové Strašecí. He used his rich ball hockey experience and knowledge of the Czech environment. „The championship was definitely unique in that it was the first (and probably the last) event during my time at the ISBHF where I didn't sleep in a hotel, but at home. I come from Kladno, I live about a 10 minutes walk from the field, so it was strange, and at the same time prestigious, that the international event takes place "on home soil". It was all the more important to me that everything succeed," David Tor does not hide his impressions after the end of the championship.

The preparations were not easy

David, how do you rate the Masters World Championships from the point of view of the ISBHF?

Definitely successful! Our goal was to name world champions in individual categories again after the pause caused by the pandemic, and this goal was more than fulfilled. In the Masters category, the championship was held after 4 long years, everyone was already looking forward to the tournament and to the Czech Republic, and we are very happy that this event turned out to be a great success.

How do you evaluate the organization of Masters World Championships?

Any international ISBHF event organized by the Czech Ball Hockey Federation is at the highest organizational level, and the CBHF deserves a lot of thanks and recognition for that. This is mainly due to the fact that international events are held in the Czech Republic quite often, so the local organizers already have a wealth of experience and know what is needed for the success of the event. In short, the Czech ball hockey community knows how to organize international tournaments, and we are happy that more ISBHF events will be held here in the near future.

How difficult is it to prepare and organize the WC for 18 teams?

It's not simple. The first preparations started about a year ago, with the selection of venues, preliminary selection of accommodation capacities, design of transport arrangements, continuous communication with participating countries and individual teams, etc. The peak of the preparations was the summer and the beginning of September, when we met with the other organizers at least once a week to ensure that everything was properly prepared and secured.

However, it is not only about the number of teams, but also about the duration, as the Masters is only a five-day event. In the first three days, 45 group matches were played, with teams playing twice in one day, which is a challenging task especially from the point of view of the logistics of the individual teams. This task is even more challenging during the play-offs, when teams' lineups for matches are known no more than 24 hours in advance. I would like to say a big thank you to Olga Birčáková and Ladislav Sýbek, who primarily provided transport and comfort for the teams.

A great invitation to the next ISBHF events!

Which point in the organization of the WC can be marked as the most demanding?

I mentioned the difficult logistics above, another important aspect was the uncertainty of the weather, as it was played on two outdoorrinks. Since the forecast at the beginning of the tournament did not look promising, we had prepared individual variants of moving or postponing matches in case of thunderstorms or heavy rain. Fortunately, the weather was kind to us in the end and none of the alternate plans were needed.

What are the reactions of the participants of the ISBHF WC?

Excellent. Everyone I communicated with had nothing but positive reactions and words of praise. They liked not only the tournament and its organization, but also our culture, the beauty of Prague, which they visited, and the warmth with which we welcomed the foreign teams.

I would like to sincerely thank the Czech Ball Hockey Federation, all the organizers and volunteers - everyone contributed and the result was worth it. At the same time, I would like to thank all the participants of the tournament and the fans who arrived at both fields - it was a great spectacle and an invitation to the next international events of the ISBHF.