WC hockey | Attention fans, the cameras see everything. And you won’t miss a kiss, says the WC match director

He is in charge of directing the program for his fourth hockey championship, the first being the championship in Prague and Ostrava nine years ago. “And the viewer will recognize the differences compared to this tournament when they come to both arenas,” says Zahálka. “Our goal is to do a very similar program in terms of audiovisual equipment. The fan will see quite a similar show and they should have the feeling that the organizers have thought about it,” he points out.

A lot of changes are coming compared to Sparta matches. “DJ and presenter platforms can be here all the time, and we have fewer partner events, so we can prepare more elaborate things and focus on the program itself,” explains Zahálka.

However, there will also be a traditional one kiss cam. “Everyone asks me about this. Fans will not miss the classic kiss. It will just be conceived a little differently,” the director suggests. “Every fan should be careful what they do. With countless cameras, we can monitor each of them, select him at a given moment and include him in the broadcast,” he points out with a smile.

WC in hockey 2024

The accompanying program will combine elements of entertainment and important information. “We are preparing things to support the atmosphere in the hall, competitions or informative things. We also don’t forget about hockey, which of course is always in the first place, so that the audience doesn’t come to some crazy show,” he realizes.

The program will be richer for the matches of the other teams, but slightly different for the Czech duels. “We have to approach them according to the IIHF rules, i.e. impartially. But my plan is to let the hall itself lead the game. We are at home, so we don’t have to rush the Czech fans with so many activities,” adds Zahálka.