So they get a free pass to the Olympics which they do not deserve. They are not playing at the level that is required. And someone who took the long road of developing their own players gets shut out. God job IIHF.
Korea 2018
- Thread starter Coramoor
- Start date
Both korean national teams (men and women) get a spot at their home-olympics.
Can be read on iihf.com
Can be read on iihf.com
On the other hand, the Olympics are an expensive endeavor akin to throwing a giant party where the host should certainly get a chance to be there, especially in one of the biggest events. Can Korea beat any of the teams they're facing right now? No... but they have three years to get ready to try. I feel for a team that scrapes in on skill that is now missing out, but it's not like Korea is ranked 100th in the world. They were in the tier right below the top in the IIHF just a year ago.
I am shocked, after all the times the IIHF said they needed to be better, and just a week ago the Korean federation themselves believed they would have to play their way in. The Women's is even worse, they are so far off the competitive level of the teams there now, further away then the Italians were in 2006. And it is going to force a medal contender to qualify their way in: at least one of Switzerland, Finland, Sweden or Russia will have to play their way in now.
BladesofSTEELwFIRE
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- Feb 15, 2010
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Wow, I thought they had to reach a minimum rank. They could REALLY get embarassed!
varsaku
Registered User
I don't know why everyone is hating on this move by IIHF. The Korean Hockey Federation is at least making the moves needed to help the sport grow. With sending players to other countries to learn and spending more on development they may see improvement in the future. If they are willing to help the sport grow let them have their chance. You can’t get a better chance to showcase hockey talent (doesn’t have to be Korean talent) to a non-traditional market. This may convince more kids to at least try hockey to see if it is the sport for them.
I think in general the host country should be offered the opportunity to play. It's not like South Korea is Mongolia. I'm not sure where Greece ranked in field hockey standards, but ice hockey is one of the premiere events of the Winter Olympics; to exclude the hosts may have damaged the local interest towards the entire tournament.
It may not be as appealing to us as international viewers, but for the locals having the host compete is important. If Qatar is allowed to field a team in 2022...
It may not be as appealing to us as international viewers, but for the locals having the host compete is important. If Qatar is allowed to field a team in 2022...
The guy above against it is from Slovenia. We've got a pretty multicultural board here. If you're from a borderline hockey country that is on the cusp of making the Olympics, you wouldn't want to hear you're potentially losing out to South Korea because they're getting an automatic birth. I get that frustration and I think a lot of the people that are against it are in similar situations, cheering for teams like Germany, Italy or Austria. It's a vocal minority so you don't see the people who either mildly support or just don't care.
As I said above I'm ultimately for it, because it costs a lot to put on the Olympics and I think that gives them the right to participate. It also could be good for the sport. Korea likes sports (especially soccer) and it's nice to see our sport grow worldwide. They'll have to really focus to not get embarrassed and I think they'll make a strong attempt.
BladesofSTEELwFIRE
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I agree with all those points you guys make about the benefits of Korea playing.
But it defeats much of the purpose if they lose 10-0 or 12-0. Then they will be looked at as just a laughingstock and I am dubious as to how much that would do for Korean hockey! That is why there should be some minimum rank requirement like 20th or so.
But it defeats much of the purpose if they lose 10-0 or 12-0. Then they will be looked at as just a laughingstock and I am dubious as to how much that would do for Korean hockey! That is why there should be some minimum rank requirement like 20th or so.
KrisLetAngry
MrJukeBoy
BladesofSTEELwFIRE
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Not a bad idea but would all other teams agree?
This reminds me of the Japanese women's ice hockey team at the Nagano Olympics. Their goal was to simply SCORE and they acted like they won the Cup when they scored ONE goal! LOL
Could Korea score AT ALL in 2018?
saskriders
Can't Hold Leads
Hosts get at least one automatic qualification into every discipline (or maybe even event) at the Olympics.
BladesofSTEELwFIRE
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But what if they can't even play that sport? Let's just say hypothetically India got the winter olympics. Would India get to be in the ice hockey tourney? LOL
Not per default. It was IIHF (and not IOC's, although, who knows what went on behind the curtains) decision to let the Koreans play. And the south koreans DO have a active national team ranked at #23 in world at least, so I guess they could ice a team that isnt a total joke. It could have been worse. Like China.
Maybe they could keep the games close at least. In a way they can play relaxed, if they could managed to almost get a point it will be a success for them.
BladesofSTEELwFIRE
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India would never get the Winter Olympics due to climate, but it'd be funny to see what would happen if they got the Summer Olympics and had to put a basketball and soccer/football team on the field. It'd be 180-20 for the USA and 18-0 for Germany if they played.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skiing_in_India
Maybe the altitude is a bit too high for cross country skiing for example, I dunno.
Maybe the altitude is a bit too high for cross country skiing for example, I dunno.
saskriders
Can't Hold Leads
Well then it is a good chance to grow the sport. It isn't like people look at the Jamaican bobsled team as a regrettable olympic moment.
BladesofSTEELwFIRE
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ZURICH/SEOUL – Two North American-born ice hockey players have obtained Korean citizenship according to new naturalization legislation for outstanding athletes by the Republic of Korea, the Ministry of Justice announced. Mike Testwuide may play in the upcoming 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group B in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Caroline Park, a Canadian born in Brampton, Ontario of Korean heritage, also obtained Korean citizenship.
http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/...]=9495&cHash=2d5161aeaaaa767e6e55886713187958
http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/...]=9495&cHash=2d5161aeaaaa767e6e55886713187958
