Adirondack Sports Council Named Organizing Committee to the 2024 IIHF Women’s Worlds Championship
IIHF Women’s World Championship Returns to the United States for the First Time Since 2017
UTICA, N.Y. -- The Adirondack Sports Council (ADKSC) has expanded its events organizing portfolio to include the April 3-14, 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship, being held in Utica, N.Y. The not-for-profit (501c3), based in Lake Placid, N.Y., announced today that Oneida County has named it the 10-day tournament’s Local Organizing Committee (LOC). As the LOC, the ADKSC will team with the county and USA Hockey to market, promote and organize the global tournament and festival.
“This event fits hand-in-hand with our mission of attracting and assisting national and international sporting events in the Adirondack Region and throughout New York State,” said ADKSC Executive Director Tracy Smith. “Our goal is to not only organize a top-notch international hockey tournament, but to showcase Utica as a formidable contender to host high-level national and international events and competitions.”
Since serving as the local organizing committee to the January 12-22, 2023 winter edition of the FISU World University Games, the ADKSC has become the official organizing committee to the Empire State Winter Games and the Wilmington Whiteface 100k and 50k Mountain Bike Race. Most recently, it partnered with Schroon Lake’s Adirondack Marathon Distance Festival to assume management of the Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2023 marathon and festivities. This included providing an updated website, additional marketing and promotion strategies and organization of volunteers.
“The Adirondack Sports Council has a proven track record for organizing top-notch international sporting events and we are thrilled to partner with them for the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. “This 10-day event is not only going to provide exciting Olympic-level hockey inside the Adirondack Bank Center, but will pack the streets of downtown Utica with fun-filled fan zones and amazing entertainment. Together with the Adirondack Sports Council, USA Hockey and Mohawk Valley Garden, we are going to throw a global party and put Oneida County on the worldwide map.”
Robert Esche, Mohawk Valley Garden President added, “We believe that the partnership between Oneida County and Adirondack Sports Council is an incredible opportunity for us to make this event the biggest and best it can possibly be. Their direction and involvement is going to help elevate the fan experience to make this the best Women’s World Championship to date.”
The 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship tournament will include 29 games being played in the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Auditorium. Last year’s tournament took place in Brampton, Ontario, Canada where Team USA captured its first world crown since 2019, topping Team Canada 6-3. Since the tournament’s inception in 1990, Team Canada has won 12 world titles, while the United States has come away with 10 gold medals.
This marks the fifth time the United States has hosted the IIHF Women’s World Championship, most recently in 2017 in Plymouth, Mich., Burlington, Vt. held the event in 2012, Minneapolis, Minn. staged it in 2001 and Lake Placid played host in 1994.
“We’re thrilled to have the IIHF Women’s World Championship back in the U.S. and could not be more excited to bring the event to Utica,” said Pat Kelleher, Executive Director of USA Hockey. “The leadership of the Mohawk Valley Garden group, led by Robert Esche, in partnering with us, and the support from the state of New York, Turning Stone Resort, and the city of Utica has been fantastic. We know fans will enjoy the opportunity to see the best women's hockey players in the world in person this April.”
For more information about the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship visit https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2024/ww.