New Ice Hockey Event May Be Coming to The 2030 Winter Olympics

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Cooper Godin
November 4, 2024 (7:11 PM)

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A new hockey event may be coming to the 2030 Winter Olympics, if the IIHF's proposal becomes successful.

Anticipation is building for Olympic hockey, which will see the return of National Hockey League players starting in 2026, with an official agreement close to being signed by the NHL, NHLPA, IIHF, IOC.

Once that agreement is officially signed, we can begin taking a look at which members of the Vancouver Canucks could have the opportunity to represent their nation in Milan & Cortina d'Ampezzo in February 2026.

New hockey event could be coming in 2030

While the attention of fans is currently on the 2026 Winter Olympics, for good reason, in a little over five years, the world's top athletes will gather in in the French Alps for the 2030 Games and we may see a new hockey event take place.

As has been rumoured for a little while now, the International Ice Hockey Federation is set to submit a proposal to the International Olympic Committee for the inclusion of 3-on-3 Hockey at the 2030 Winter Olympics.

The IIHF has been drafting a plan for 3-on-3 hockey at the Winter Olympics since 2021, but it won't be the first time the Games have had this format of ice hockey. 3-on-3 hockey was first played at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympics, followed by 2024, which the latter featured nations competing for the gold medal, while the former was a demonstration sport with mixed teams featuring boys and girls from countries all over the globe.

Games are expected to be played on rinks with a 26x18m ice surface, which will feature for the first time IIHF's Women's 3x3 series this month in Brazil.

A submission of interest by the International Ice Hockey Federation is set to be made in January 2025, followed by a questionnaire in March. The International Olympic Committee is expected to make a decision on the matter in the fourth quarter of 2025 - October, November or December.

"The big deadline is January 2025, when the IIHF makes an official submission of interest in adding a new ice hockey discipline to the OWG 2030 Discipline Evaluation Program. The first questionnaire must be submitted by March 30 and the IOC will make a final decision in Q4 2025. If the bid is successful, it would pave the way for 3x3 hockey to feature at the 2030 Winter Olympic Games in France. That, in turn, could allow up to 240 more hockey players to take part in the Olympics - further broadening the reach and appeal of the game." The IIHF said.

There are many questions that remain before the puck potentially drops on 3-on-3 Olympic hockey in 2030. Will NHL players be involved? How do the periods and timing work? How does the tournament format work? How many nations will be involved? These, among other questions, will be answered well before February 2030.