Empty seats are the norm at this month's unusual World Junior Hockey Championship in Edmonton.Hockey Canadasaid scandals surrounding the organization are partly holding back fans.
Tournaments typically draw thousands of passionate hockey enthusiasts to each match, but he averaged 1,319 attendees in the 20 qualifying rounds of the tournament.
Hockey Canada said there are "several reasons" people are choosing to stay home for the rescheduled 2022 tournament.
"First, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this tournament has been postponed to his August," the organization said in a statement Tuesday. "And secondly, there is understandable scrutiny from Canadians of hockey Canada and hockey culture."
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10-Team Tournament Begins August 9 Criticism of Hockey Canada grew when the
Handling sexual assault allegations against two former world junior team members.
This allegation prompted a congressional investigation and the federal government to freeze funding for the organization.
Well-known sponsors such as Telus and Canadian Tire followed suit, with no advertising on the ice at Rogers Place and the usual logos on the surrounding boards.
"Our focus is to ensure that players who have been training for the past few months are able to compete on this important stage, and that fans enjoy a positive experience." Hockey Canada said.
Day 1 of Tournament had three matches, but none It failed to reach 1,000 fans.The biggest draw was between the United States and Germany, with an attendance of 829.
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Canada played its first match the next day. 5-2 win over Latvia — in front of 2,779 people. Attendance for the match between Switzerland and Sweden at 12pm has not been reported. Local time on the same day.
The crowd slowly ballooned as the tournament progressed, with 5,204 spectators watching Canada's final qualifying round match as she beat Finland 6-3 on Monday.
Hockey Canada is one of the organizations likely to suffer financial losses due to disappointing ticket sales.
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"Stakeholders acknowledge that the event's (International Ice Hockey Federation), Hockey Canada, and participating federations all make financial contributions to ensure the event takes place. said Hockey Canada.
"Net earnings from World Juniors will be split between Hockey Canada, members of Hockey Canada, (Canadian Hockey League) and IIHF." More than 1,500 tickets were sold on Ticketmaster for Canada's quarterfinal match on Tuesday.
The 2022 tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta in December, but due to his increasing number of COVID-19 cases among players and officials, The game was forced to stop after only 4 days.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
