12th Christmas Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament for Prize of Belarus President

The Christmas tournament for the prize of the President of Belarus is perhaps the only event of the kind on the global sport calendar. It is not just a calling card of the country and a January tradition for ice hockey fans but also an unofficial world amateur ice hockey championship. On Christmas Eve Minsk welcomes prominent athletes: world champions and medalists, former KHL and NHL players, and turn into a large-scale ice hockey feast for a couple of days.

This year eight teams representing Belarus, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Sweden and the UAE vied for the main trophy of the tournament at Chizhovka Arena. At the start of the competitions Belarus President’s team which raised the trophy eight times (2005-2014) and Team Russia that won the tournament in 2007, 2011 and 2015 were named the favorites of the tournament.

Opening the 12th Christmas tournament, Belarus President and amateur ice hockey player Alexander Lukashenko named “a serious sport component, a spirit of the true competition and succession in the professional and mass sport" among the main features of the sport forum and stressed that sport is “the best form of public diplomacy".

On the first day of the tournament, 4 January, Belarus beat Switzerland 9-7. During the preliminary round Belarus also picked up wins in the games against Slovakia (4-3) and the United Arab Emirates (11-8).

The tournament ended on 7 January, with Slovakia clinching their first bronze after routing Sweden 17-3 (Slovakia finished 4th in 2014 and 2015). Gold was claimed by Belarus President’s team that edged Finland 2-1. Team Finland won the Christmas tournament bronze medal six times. It was the first time the team reached the final.