Strong support

The International Ice Hockey Federation decided today to entrust Latvia with the organization of the 2006 Ice Hockey World Championship. According to the Internet site ``ihwc.net``, the 2005 championship has been entrusted to Austria and will be held in Innsbruck and Vienna. Switzerland was also in the running but Latvia had withdrawn its candidacy. In the decision to select Latvia for the 2006 championship, Latvia received strong support from Russia, Germany and Canada, with enthusiastic fan support being a key factor.