Germany Target Top Two Group Finish in European Championships

After coming within a whisker of qualifying for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, Germany are looking for a top two group finish in the 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Ice Sledge Hockey European Championships which kick off this Saturday (12 February).

Driven on by the disappointment of an overtime loss to Sweden in the final qualifying game for Vancouver, the Germans have brought in three new faces for the tournament in Solleftea, Sweden, and are aiming for a much better outcome.

“I think with a bit of luck we could come second in our group“, said defender Gerd Bleidorn, whose side is up against Estonia, Great Britain, Netherlands and Norway in group A.

“The strongest team will be Norway. They are defending champions, the team to beat and probable gold medal winners.

“I don’t know too much about Estonia apart from we played them two years ago. The Netherlands have a very young and smart squad who will just be looking for experience.”

After publicly stating they were targeting victory against Germany in the group stages, Bleidorn refused to be drawn into a war of words with Great Britain who they face on Wednesday.

“We don’t know too much about them having not played them for two to three years,” Bleidorn told www.paralympic.org, the IPC website. “We do know they have some new players in the side so we’ll see how they go.”

After representing his country at numerous European and World Championships, as well as Paralympic Winter Games, Bleidorn is well aware of the importance of this tournament in Sweden. He also knows that Germany’s future success depends on bringing through new talent who he hopes might get to compete on home territory in years to come.

Gerd Bleidorn said: “These Championships are key to planning for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games but what is more important for us is July’s announcement.

“Should Munich win the right to host the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games then we need to ensure we have a strong team.

“That’s why we’ve started a second national team, following the US model, to bring through more young players.”

More than 130 players from 10 different countries are set to compete in the 2011 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey European Championships, the biggest event since last year’s Vancouver Paralympic Games.

The 10 competing teams have been split into two groups of five, with the top two from each qualifying for the semi-finals.

The groups are:

Group A

Estonia

Germany

Great Britain

Netherlands

Norway

Group B

Czech Republic

Italy

Poland

Russia

Sweden

Although the first game takes place this Saturday (12 February), the Opening Ceremony for the event which is part of the Paralympic Winter World Cup will not take place until 15 February and will be attended by IPC Honorary Board Member HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.