Kalle Väliaho, IIHF Development Director, kicked off the 2023 IIHF Coaching Symposium with a deep dive into the IIHF.

For IIHF Development Director Kalle Väliaho, the 2023 IIHF Coaching Symposium was about bringing people together. The symposium, which took place during the 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship in Finland this past May, featured thought-provoking presentations from nine speakers, plus attendees from all over the world. It was, in Väliaho’s words, a “perfect weekend.”

“We had about 25 different nations represented here,” said Väliaho. “People could come here, enjoy the games, meet people and make connections. It’s always really important to bring people together to discuss and educate each other with new ideas.”

Part of that education was Väliaho kicking off the symposium by providing a deep dive into the IIHF, including it’s mission, vision and values of integrity, respect, passion & community. The IIHF, home to 83 members, 1.6 million player and 158,00 coaches, aims to work with stakeholders to make hockey an available, attractive and competitive sport and to generate added value to its members. One of the ways it accomplishes this is by hosting various seminars, such as this.

This 8-minute video also includes an explanation of the IIHF’s Development Plan Overview.