S. Korea to have men’s, women’s hockey teams at 2018 Winter Olympics

The men’s and women’s hockey teams of host nation South Korea have been granted automatic berths into the 2018 Winter Olympics hockey tournament, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Friday.

There had been debate about whether teams from South Korea, which is a developing hockey nation, would be able to compete without embarrassment against advanced hockey nations at the Games in PyeongChang. The IIHF had been expected to delay a decision for a while in order to measure the game’s growth and progress in Korea.

However, the IIHF apparently was swayed by promises from Korean hockey officials that they will commit money and resources to improving the caliber of play. This summer, a team from Korea University was sent to train in Southern California, where members of the Ducks’ organization helped them improve their fitness and worked with them on technique. Here’s a link to a Times column about the team’s trip.

Rene Fasel, president of the IIHF, made the announcement about South Korea’s Olympic acceptance. The men’s national team will be coached by former NHL player Jim Paek. Here’s a link to the IIHF’s full announcement.