Buffalo 2015 unveils medal design

"We look forward to displaying the talent of these amazing athletes to all the fans here in Buffalo and those watching worldwide."

The build-up to the biggest IPC Ice Sledge Hockey competition since the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games continued on Wednesday (22 April), as the medals for the 2015 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships A-Pool in Buffalo, New York, USA, were unveiled.

The medals feature the competition logo of a player looking towards a set of stars, designed to reflect the features of the US flag, printed in relief.

The battle for medals at Buffalo 2015 gets underway on Sunday (26 April), a day headlined by the host’s preliminary round clash with Russia in a replay of the Sochi 2014 final just over one year ago. That game saw the USA take gold with a 1-0 victory courtesy of a second period goal from Josh Sweeney.

Jessica Korber, IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Sport Manager, said: “It is hard to believe that it has only been 12 months since we were celebrating the greatest Paralympic Winter Games in ice sledge hockey’s history.

“Now we are back for the World Championships A-Pool and the reveal of the medals design is just one more exciting part of the preparations. I am certain that the performances that we will see from teams at the HARBORCENTER as they try to make the podium will go down in history as some of the greatest ever seen.”

Mike Bertsch, Assistant Executive Director, Marketing and Communications at USA Hockey said:

“The World Championships is a premier sled hockey event and the unveiling of the medals is an exciting step toward the commencement of the tournament. As the host of the 2015 competition, we look forward to displaying the talent of these amazing athletes to all the fans here in Buffalo and those watching worldwide.”

Sunday’s games also include match-ups between defending champions Canada and Japan in Group A, a replay of the semi-final game from Vancouver 2010 when the Japanese sealed victory before going on to win silver.

The Czech Republic also face Norway in Group A and European champions Italy play Germany in Group B.

At the last World Championships A-Pool in Goyang, South Korea in 2013, Canada won gold over the USA and Russia took bronze in their first ever A-Pool Worlds.

The full schedule is available at Buffalo2015.com/schedule.

The medal matches at Buffalo 2015 take place on 3 May. All matches between 26 April-3 May will be shown live at Buffalo2015.com, except for some territories where the broadcast may be blocked due to rights restrictions. Live results will also be available.

Tickets are still on sale at Buffalo2015.com/tickets.