Preparations for the upcoming Women’s Para Ice Hockey World Championships are advancing smoothly with site visit and discussions held as the Local Organising Committee met in Dolny Kubin The meeting brought together representatives from the Slovak Paralympic Committee (NPC Slovakia) and key partners to review the planning and operational work for the event A thorough inspection of the Dolny Kubin Ice Stadium – the official venue for the championships – was the focus of the visit the delegation identified several areas that requires further technical or operational adjustments accessibility for athletes with disabilities “The World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships are not just a sporting event – they carry a powerful message about equal opportunities and the courage to push boundaries I’m proud that Dolny Kubin has embraced this challenge with openness and respect I believe we will deliver a championship we can all be proud of,” said Maros Cambal Members of the Organising Committee also met with representatives of local hotels and were assured of their readiness to provide high-quality services to athletes The Organising Committee added that they are confident that Slovakia will deliver an event that reflects the spirit of Para sport and leaves a positive legacy for both the international sporting community and the local public The next step of the preparation will be outfitting team locker rooms planning medical services and addressing the logistics for live streaming and television broadcast coverage the volunteer recruitment and training are underway along with planning for local transportation and coordination of the opening ceremony The next critical development will be the meeting between representatives of World Para Ice Hockey (WPIH) and Technical Delegates The goal of this meeting is to align local preparations with WPIH standards and confirm the technical requirements of the tournament What does contemporary Slovak painting have to offer We are looking for an answer at an exhibition of paintings by prominent Slovak artists The exhibition Contemporary slovak art from the collection of Orava Gallery in Dolný Kubín which is organised in cooperation with Orava Gallery in Dolný Kubín showcases contemporary Slovak painting from the turn of the 21st century The works have been selected by curator Michal Čajka art historian and director of Orava Gallery Paintings by notable Slovak artists including Robert Bielik Erik Sille and Lucia Tallová represent a variety of styles and creative conventions Although the exhibition presents only a part of a larger collection it offers a comprehensive view of current Slovak painting its condition and the variety of means of expression Orava Gallery in Dolný Kubín celebrates the 60th anniversary of its foundation in 2025 it has accumulated more than 9,000 works of art representing various genres and disciplines in its collection One of the disciplines it systematically deals with is painting Since its foundation in 1965 until the present day the gallery has amassed a sizable collection of paintings (2,424 works at the end of 2023) The gallery has successively acquired paintings from past eras Notwithstanding periods in the history of world art when painting ceased to be the preferred medium of expression the medium has always been able to defend itself and bring artists back into focus we can find abstract geometrical and action painting as well as what theorists cautiously refer to as so-called conceptual painting The exhibition features works by artists from different generations from the oldest debuting in the 1960s and 1970s to the youngest who only became recognizable in the early 2020s In no way should the collection of contemporary painting assembled by the Orava Gallery in Dolný Kubín be considered a closed entity; on the contrary it is a living organism that should be consciously supplemented with works by further artists as well as works by those painters who are already represented in the collection as part of the collection building strategy The exhibition entitled ‘Contemporary Slovak Art from the Collection of the Orava Gallery in Dolný Kubín’ offers a comprehensive presentation of current Slovak painting The exhibition was organised as part of a cross-border exchange between Poland and Slovakia and the next stage of the partnership will be a presentation of Polish contemporary painting from the collection of Galeria Bielska BWA in Bielsko-Biała This will be held in Orava Gallery in Dolný Kubín between 11 April and 15 June 2025 World Para Ice Hockey will make history this year when Dolny Kubin hosts the first-ever Women’s World Championships The tournament will feature six teams and will take place at the Winter Stadium from 26-31 August The Dolny Kubin 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships will see national teams from Australia alongside a Team World composed of players from various nations “We are thrilled to welcome the first-ever World Para Ice Hockey Women’s Championships to Dolny Kubin This will be a game-changer for the future of our sport and we anticipate the reaction from our community to be incredibly supportive,” said Michelle Laflamme “With the ultimate goal of expanding female participation in Para ice hockey worldwide and applying for a women’s medal event to be considered for potential inclusion on a future edition of the Paralympic Winter Games programme this is a landmark announcement for the sport.” International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons praised the remarkable progress achieved by World Para Ice Hockey in the development of the sport among female athletes The Women’s World Championships is a major milestone in that process and I hope to see more and more nations joining women’s Para ice hockey in the near future.” Chief Executive Officer of the Slovak Paralympic Committee "We are incredibly proud that Slovakia will host the first-ever World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships Dolny Kubin has long been a hub for Para ice hockey development and welcoming the world's top female athletes to compete here is a historic moment for the sport This championships is a testament to the rapid growth of women’s Para ice hockey and a crucial step toward greater inclusion and recognition on the global stage We look forward to an inspiring tournament that will showcase talent and the power of sport to break barriers." The 2025 Women’s World Championships will feature round-robin play followed by a medal round teams must consist of at least seven skaters Athletes must hold a valid license for the 2025–2026 season and must meet the other applicable eligibility criteria More information about the Dolny Kubin 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships will be available on http://www.worldparaicehockey.org DOLNÝ KUBÍN. Transparent s jediným slovom - zradca a fotografiou premiéra Roberta Fica sa z večera do rána objavil na železničnom moste v Dolnom Kubíne Dolnokubínska mestská polícia prijala dnes ráno (24 Odkedy presne a ako sa tam dostal, zástupca náčelníka Rastislav Záhradník netuší. "Aj keď máme v meste nainštalované kamery na to miesto nedosahujú," povedal mestský policajt pretože patrí do kompetencie železničnej polície "Vec objasňuje oddelenie Železničnej polície vo Vrútkach a vykonáva ďalšie úkony smerujúce k objasneniu skutku," informovala Zuzana Šefčíková zo žilinskej krajskej polície Železničiari okolo poludnia transparent zvesili Fico bude sledovať aj vojakov z invázie na Ukrajinu Vďaka zdieľanému paušálu teraz platia za mobil menej až o tretinu Tabuľku súťaže stále vedie FC Sedem Námestovo Tabuľku vedie po minulom týždni Oravská Lesná Nearly 40 athletes from six different countries took part in the third edition of the World Para Ice Hockey (WPIH) Skills Development camp last weekend (7-11 November) in Dolny Kubin the International Federation of the fastest-paced Paralympic winter sport is working to grow the game and athlete development pipeline and also brought in participants to the camp from Slovakia enhancing the development pipeline to grow the female game as well “The interest in World Para Ice Hockey is growing every year and this was showcased by the number of future athletes who expressed interest in coming to Slovakia to participate in our Skills Development Camp,” said Michelle Laflamme “Hosting camps such as these are vital to the future of our sport — both for athletes and coaches — and what help nations in aspiring to compete for Paralympic medals one day to either build or better their foundational base for their national programme.” “We learned a lot of individual skills and also a lot of exercises to set a decent training to improve the skill level in the whole of the Netherlands,” said Dutch player Roelof Burghoorn “This knowledge and information are welcome and very much needed as the sport needs a lot of growth and professionalization in a small ice hockey country like the Netherlands we had al lot of fun and enjoyed the interaction with the other teams.” The camp was hosted by the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Slovakia and presented by Citi a founding partner of the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) PARA SPORT grassroots to high performance programme Slovakia’s Para ice hockey programme provided the Ukrainian participants with equipment at the camp to ensure their participation with the proper accommodations needed “It was a pleasure to host the Skills Development Camp in Slovakia and it’s wonderful to know we’ve made an impact on advancing Para ice hockey in the region,” said Tomas Varga Executive Director of Sports for NPC Slovakia Emma Poynton of Australia and Jiri Briza of Czechia were the three coaches who led the camp which included both on and off-ice training Since its debut at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Games Para ice hockey has grown exponentially and is now played in 20 different countries around the world The last two iterations of the World Para Ice Hockey Skills Development Camp were held in Thailand in 2023 and Czechia in 2021 Our weekly email is chockful of interesting and relevant insights into Jewish history For 200 days Tibor Spitz and his family hid in a hole during the freezing winter to evade the Nazis a retired chemical engineer turned renowned artist and educator spoke to Aish.com about the extraordinary events of his life before Tibor Spitz grew up in the small town of Dolny Kubin nestled in a picturesque mountainous region of Orava shouldering the country’s border with Poland but it wasn’t in my parents plans to live in Slovakia at all,” Spitz explains “Several years earlier they had moved to the Land of Israel but had to return to Europe.” Tibor’s parents Yosef Tzvi and Shoshana Spitz had realized their dream to settle in the Land of Israel in 1920 living in what was then the small town of Bnei Brak “It was there that my oldest sister Esther Spitz was born but she died at a young age from illness.” The couple’s fortunes continued to decline when Yosef Tzvi was shot by Arab marauders they were advised to return to Europe to receive medical care there was snow on the ground for around eight or ten months of the year and we became strong and healthy.” he had trained as an opera singer in Vienna and he had mixed with so many well-known composers.“ In Slovakia he found work as a chazan My father often played music on a gramophone he taught Hebrew and would give talks about living in the Land of Israel.” Tibor’s father also acted as the shochet (ritual slaughterer) The Jewish community of Dolny Kubin numbered just 100 families (Jewish school) so I along with the other Jewish children went to public school Tibor was ten years old when the Nazis began their conquest of Europe Slovakia aligned itself as an ally to the Nazis Tiso would be tried and executed for war crimes and crimes against humanity) One day Tibor returned home with tears in his eyes “As the only Jewish boy in a large elementary class ‘You better live the way that people would have reasons to envy you rather than feel sorry for you.’ It was then that I learned in any situation to try to remain a mensch we were kicked out of public school and overnight my mother became a teacher to the town’s 24 Jewish children aged 6 to 16.” Slovakia aligned itself as a Nazi client state In 1941, the Jews of Slovakia were forced to wear a star, and in the same year, the Slovak government negotiated with Nazi Germany for the mass deportation of Jews to German-occupied Poland around 69,000 of the country’s estimated 90,000 Jews had been murdered although the deportations were staggered and typically shrouded in false promises “I used to ask myself: why they didn’t just deport all of the Jews straight away “Tiso announced that the country would remain civilized jewelry and our money but life somehow just seemed to carry on.” It was all a ruse; we were being sent to our deaths they told us to learn a manual trade for our new lives in the East and they even provided workshops.” Tibor learned to be a bricklayer “It was all a ruse; we were being sent to our deaths They turned up the heat of the water little by little until we were too weak and were trapped.” some Jews were left to run some confiscated businesses “Part of my father’s duties had been to officiate at the Jewish funerals My brother and I also helped with the manual cemetery work.” Yosef Zvi was told that his family would be deported on the last train “We didn’t trust the authorities and every time there was a deportation In 1943 Germans began to lose ground against the Russians on the Eastern front almost all Jews were gone and only some remained in either Slovak Labor camps or waiting in limbo This situation continued until 1944 when part of the Slovak army along with many civilians joined partisans and started an uprising against the Slovak fascist government The Red Army was already in neighboring Ukraine in the east and in Poland across the northern border But the Germans crushed the uprising and took over the entire territory of Slovakia the Nazi invasion had seen many Slovaks leave the cities to seek refuge in the outlying villages accompanied by my grandfather who had been staying with us “The Germans put up posters – 'Come back to your homes You will have rights.'” The Spitz family was not convinced “My parents said we would be crazy to go back to our homes.” Briefly renting a room in a nearby village but knowing it still might take the Red Army months to break through on the Eastern front Tibor’s brother Ernest came up with a plan “The Nazis were on every corner looking at documents We were thinking of hiding under the ground in a forest for several months before my brother Ernest thought it over to the smallest detail He said we needed to find a stream that would give us a water supply in a steep valley far enough off the beaten track that no one would pass through.” Ernest’s plan was to cut a triangle out of the slope near to the floor of the valley which would provide the family with cover from the rain and shade from the sun he used charcoal from the brick stove to draw a plan on the wall of the apartment we were hiding in After Ernest had located a steep valley that closely matched their needs “During the day we would stay in the village pretending to be war refugees helping the villagers with their harvest Just a small military trench shovel we found “It was extremely difficult to dig the ground in a pristine forest To make a hole to squeeze six people into the side of a steep hill took days used fallen tree trunks and branches and then camouflaged the area so that nothing would reveal any human presence.” After completing the shelter and camouflaging the area the family disappeared into the forest Illustration by Spitz of how the family built their forest hideout “Not all Slovaks were fanatical believers in the Nazi victory so it did not even cross our minds that we would have to spent such a long time in the snow-covered mountain Also nobody forecast that 1944 would be the coldest winter of the century and every day was the longest I have ever experienced As patrols on horseback and foot searched the forests I vividly remember that the hole was smaller than we needed and we could not stretch or lie out We were squeezed into uncomfortable positions A painting by Spitz of the family’s underground hideout and sucked the water from the snow and ice to stay alive The forests and the wild nature felt like friends helping us to hide from the human predators and murderers I would fill in my footprints with snow to prevent anyone discovering our whereabouts.” “It was just a biological level of survival “On the most basic level that you could imagine Ukrainian partisans assisting the Red Army and operating in the forest discovered the Spitz family one of them guarded us while the other went through our things but my father just wanted it to be over with ‘We are not your enemies,' my mother pleaded with them Hitler wants to kill us all,' my father interrupted her the soldiers began laughing watching them argue it out.” returning hours later after he hadn’t heard any shots “It turned out that they had been under strict orders not to kill civilians but they had taken all of our clothes and the primitive food supply we had but that winter was the coldest of the century and it was practically a death sentence.” the family wondered whether they should risk going to a nearby village to ask for help or stay where they were and freeze or starve to death “The SS Gestapo was absolutely desperate to kill us; we had witnessed enough of their crimes to know how much money they put on Jewish heads.” something incredible happened to us that I look at as a miracle there erupted a warm spring of water with a strong smell of sulphur It was such a healer and raised our spirits.” Tibor’s mother took the risk of asking for help “These villages were stricken with poverty Eventually she found partisans who also had very little but they were sympathetic to our family’s needs." In April 1945 news of the end of the war reached the Spitz family hiding in the forest “One day peasants came through the forests calling out we went back to my grandfather’s home where he and our grandmother had raised their seven children.” The grandfather had suffered from the physical and emotional strain of the war all of his other children and grandchildren were wiped out and lasted just three months before he died.” and were even coming up to us and touching us I had lost a year of studies and it was not easy.” where Yosef Zvi once again took on the role of rabbi and cantor for the Jews that remained there Later Tibor and Ernest headed to Prague to complete high school and then university “I went on to study chemistry while my brother studied art “Prague was the best place to be as a chemistry student.” He scored the highest grades in his school Ernest was making a reputation as a talented artist “He was outspoken in fighting against the communist regime for artists’ expression and shared messages through his paintings and murals promoting human rights.” Sadly but I think the authorities were behind his death.” what motivates me to tell my story is my forced silence while living in communist Czechoslovakia subversive ideology and Jewish suffering and the subject of the Holocaust became practically forbidden in politics “There was no outlet for either healing or reducing the pain we were constantly reminded and suspected of having connections to democratic Israel that was oriented towards the West and became an adversary to the USSR Religious institutions were persecuted but the accumulated traditional hatred and hostility against the Jewish religion became specifically intense particularly irritated the dictators who considered the Jews to be subversive enemies." “He was taken to hospital with something trivial and never came out His sister Chava cared for their mother who died in Slovakia in 1986 "Chava later moved to Kfar Saba in Israel and was married and had children but died just ten years later.” a daughter of the head of the Jewish community of Bratislava and so after the war it was absolutely essential to me that I could only marry a Jew but for years I resisted marriage as I felt a built-in conflict where a person could just walk up to you and call you a dirty Jew.” Tibor and Noemi met and their second meeting was their wedding – a private ceremony in Prague City Hall “God gives us the strength to survive.” Tibor says “Survival is not only about dodging the bullets they made a successful attempt to escape from a refueling Cuban airplane and became political refugees living in Canada “At home the courts sentenced us to 15 years in prison.” where Tibor worked for a company pioneering magnetic recording heads Spitz has taken a prominent role in Holocaust education and is a regular speaker at universities Delivering a lecture in May 2019 to Baruch College disbelief in unlimited cruelty and lack of unity before and during the Nazi era cost us the lives of a third of all Jews on this planet No other nation or country would have survived such impact the Jews proclaimed the existence of the State of Israel on the territory of their ancestors It is a miracle and we live in a generation when it is happening before our eyes is to live with an uncompromising moral fight for justice I was raised to be proud as a Jew and I still feel that they each teach such important lessons with unprecedented wisdom I am alive and I see every day as a holiday.” World leaders have also been guests at his lectures especially from Slovakia of whom he has been invited to meet successive presidents “I stress the importance of seeing world events truthfully without adjusting them to be either more pleasant or harmless to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others and to eliminate fear as an emotion “We should also remember that Western civilizations based their values on Jewish Scriptures connected to pursuing peace including the Jewish principle 'Do not do to others you do not want done to you.'” Noemi and former Slovakian President Andrej Kiska Tibor was invited by a film crew to try to relocate their hideout “An old woman who remembered our family from the war times explained that for many years villagers had visited our hiding place to commemorate the superhuman endurance of a Jewish family hiding in their forest “After more than seven decades it was not easy to find the remnants of an underground place covering just a few square yards Topography of the area had changed significantly as the forest wood was harvested and the areas covered by trees have significantly changed At the site in the forest of what remains of the hideout “With the help of villagers who remembered the area before the deforestation we were able to locate the remnants of the collapsed shelter with hundreds of people walking from the nearest village to the hideout with Tibor and his wife participating as an eyewitness giving public lectures and interviews for local and national TV and radio “Revisiting brought memories of the terrible times and so many victims and schoolmates – one of them shot dead while also hiding in the forest I also felt celebration for freedom and life as well I was filled with an awareness of breathing shapes and sounds to listen to music and human speech Not to be hungry to the level of counting the last drop of energy before your body shuts down and to be in the presence of people you do not have to be afraid of.” Tibor Spitz’s artwork has been displayed in the US “In 2002 I received an offer to exhibit my Holocaust paintings in Bratislava Slovak President Schuster sponsored the event and arrived there personally together with other government representatives.” Several additional exhibitions of Tibor’s artwork have also been held in the country since The last was held in August 2019 in Dolny Kubin on the occasion of Tibor’s 90th birthday The Spitz’s living room is adorned with 50 of his own works One of his latest creations was a wood carving shaped into a horse with a rider you can turn everything in life into a positive Thank you for signing up for the aish.com free newsletter 2024-25 Team: Tri-City Storm (USHL)Date of Birth: Mar 10 SlovakiaHt: 6-foot-5 Wt: 194 poundsCatches: Left Position: Goaltender NHL Draft Eligibility: 2025 first-year eligible Michal Pradel has developed into one of Slovakia’s top goaltending prospects with his talent and work ethic placing him among the most exciting players eligible for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft Pradel relies on his size to command the crease using a wide stance and butterfly to cover the net He combines this with quick lateral movements and explosive reactions to make himself a challenging presence for opposing shooters Though he occasionally drops early when tracking the puck his scanning habits and situational awareness allow him to stay ahead of the play and adjust his positioning effectively Pradel began his career in Slovakia’s junior leagues with MHK Dolny Kubin and Draci Liptovsky Mikulas he posted a 2.81 goals-against average (GAA) and a .921 save percentage (SV%) over 34 games at the U18 level His performances earned him opportunities on the international stage representing Slovakia’s U16 team with standout numbers—a 2.00 GAA and .933 SV% in two games Pradel maintained his strong form at Draci Liptovsky Mikulas U18 finishing with a .922 SV% in 38 games and contributing in the U20 playoffs In Feb. 2025, Pradel took the next step in his career by joining the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League (USHL) he recorded a 9-4-0 record with a 2.41 GAA and a .899 SV% He allowed three goals or fewer in 11 of those games he earned his first career USHL shutout against Omaha finishing with an excellent .944 SV% in a hard-fought game against the Waterloo Blackhawks Pradel also had an important role in the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship for Team Slovakia helping Slovakia reach the bronze medal game but Pradel’s performance throughout the tournament cemented his status as a promising young goaltender After developing in Slovakia’s junior ranks Pradel has now solidified himself as a legitimate NHL draft prospect and potential makes him one of the more intriguing goaltenders available in 2025 along with strong international performances with many scouts projecting him as a mid-round pick I would not be shocked to see him in the 30-50 range after his great performance at the U18s “Pradel is a rangy and mobile goaltender. His best attribute is his quickness. At 6-foot-5, most junior-aged goalies tend to lumber around the crease, but Pradel uses strong t-pushes to cover ground quickly on his feet and explodes into his butterfly movements. I also really liked what I saw from Pradel regarding his scanning habits.” – David Phillips, FC Hockey “Pradel is a tall, lanky goalie who relies heavily on his size. He stands tall in his pre-shot setup but hunches at the waist in his stance. His legs are extremely wide in both his stance and butterfly position, and he uses his height effectively in the butterfly by keeping his upper body upright. Pradel moves around the crease well when he remains standing, but he has a tendency to drop early.” – Kellen Eyre, FC Hockey Pradel has made solid progress in his development and will need to continue refining his game at the USHL level as most USHL players take the college route before moving into the pro ranks he has the tools to become a dependable American Hockey League (AHL) or NHL goaltender he has the potential to develop into an everyday NHL starter This page may not display properly to you because your browser is no longer supported or it is an outdated version we recommend that you use the latest version of Chrome following the approval of the relevant decision-making bodies has signed and notarized the agreement (SPA – sales and purchase agreement) for the partial sale of its flat rolled products (FRP) segment with KME SE the Zutphen (Netherlands) site as well as the slitting centers in Birmingham (United Kingdom) and Mortara (Italy) with a total of about 360 employees will be sold and Buffalo will remain in the Aurubis Group The FRP segment generated significantly improved operating earnings before taxes (EBT) of € 13 million in the past fiscal year 2020/21 (previous year: € 1 million) KME SE is the operational subsidiary of INTEK Holding and is one of the leading manufacturers of copper and copper alloy products worldwide The closing of the transaction is expected in summer 2022 following approval by the national competition authorities Um die heruntergeladene Komponente zu sehen den QR code scannen the International Federation for the fastest-paced Paralympic winter sport will host the World Para Ice Hockey 2024 Skills Development Camp will take place from 7-11 November in Dolny Kubin With the aim of growing the game and athlete development pipeline the camp will be hosted by the National Paralympic Committee of Slovakia and presented by Citi Participants will come from five different nations — Slovakia Hungary and the Netherlands — representing the A-Pool respectively — with each nation receiving five athlete slots and one staff slot A minimum of two of the five athletes must be women “As the awareness for Para sports continues to grow around the globe we are excited to offer an opportunity for countries strengthen their national programmes while also training up new the resources World Para Ice Hockey provides will go a long way in ensuring continuity at the highest level of Para ice hockey for future generations.” “We are proud and honoured to host the World Para Ice Hockey 2024 Skills Development Camp in Dolný Kubín This is a significant opportunity not only for our athletes but for the broader development of Para ice hockey in Slovakia and beyond By bringing together talent from across Europe and build a future where the game continues to inspire and unite people We look forward to a dynamic week of learning representative of the Slovak National Paralympic Committee which also served as the title sponsor of the two prior editions of the World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Challenge is helping to advance the sport by attracting new athletes and establishing a long-term strategy for sustainable “Following last year’s incredible Skills Development Camp in Bangkok we’re proud to support the event’s return to Europe to continue growing para ice hockey with five hockey-loving nations,” said Tom Cerasoli Director – Head of Sports Sponsorships at Citi Citi is committed to creating opportunities for athletes with disabilities This skills development camp is another opportunity to positively change the narrative around people with disabilities; we’re looking forward to watching these athletes compete and succeed on and off the ice.” The camp will be run by World Para Ice Hockey coaches and will include both on and off-ice training The transaction to sell the Aurubis sites in Zutphen Dolný Kubín and Mortara to KME has now been completed Multimetal supplier Aurubis is selling parts of its flat rolled products segment (FRP) to KME SE The sale was approved by the relevant supervisory authorities in May and closed on July 29 and Mortara (Italy) with a total of about 360 employees will be transferred to KME SE and Buffalo (USA) will remain in the Aurubis Group The purchase price is about € 12 million plus about € 63 million for the net working capital at the time of closing The net working capital was settled through the repayment of company loans to Aurubis in the same amount KME SE is the operational subsidiary of INTEK Group SpA and A group of aspiring players and their coaches gathered at Dolny Kubin’s hockey stadium for four days of on and off-ice activities with world famous Canadian coach George Kingston A successful first training camp of an IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Development Outreach Programme that aims to support countries in recruiting more players concluded on Sunday (17 January) in Dolny Kubin Kingston was joined by the Head of Development of IPC Ice Sledge Hockey’s Sport Technical Committee whose job was to work with the Slovakian Paralympic Committee on how they can recruit more players and raise public awareness of the sport participants were shown acceleration drills to improve their speed and how to move with the puck at full tilt They were taught how to pass with more purpose and directional angles and how to shoot harder with more accuracy Players were also given a better understanding of setting-up proper locations in both offensive and defensive zones Off -ice training included a journey through what benefits various strength and conditioning exercises could bring to playing performance In addition Koester and Kingston met with the coaches and representatives of the Slovakian Paralympic Committee to get their perspective on what their goals are for the team A timeline was developed for the next two seasons on what is needed to meet the coaches’ aspirations The event is part of a wider IPC Ice Sledge Hockey outreach project to develop the sport around the world The aim is to strengthen national team programmes which in turn will increase the competitiveness of the game around the world The sport plans to support countries to recruit and train the next generation of players through dedicated training camps increasing the pool and quality of athletes and growing the profile of ice sledge hockey nationally The project has been made possible by support received through the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee IPC Ice Sledge Hockey successfully applied for funding through the Foundation’s 2015 Grant Support Programme More information about the Agitos Foundation and Grant Support Programme is available at Agitos Foundation's website “Being around winners who have challenging life journeys is inspirational!” A group of Slovakian ice sledge hockey players will get the opportunity of a lifetime from Thursday (14 January) as world renowned coach George Kingston travels to the city of Dolny Kubin to give them four days of training and education who famously coached the Canadian men's national ice hockey team to their first gold medal in 33 years at the 1994 World Championships is supporting an IPC Ice Sledge Hockey initiative to bring more young players into the game A group of aspiring athletes will gather for training both on and off the ice to master elements such as stick-handling and manoeuvring in a sledge as well as improving physical fitness through strength and conditioning training “The Dolny Kubin Camp is designed for para-athletes to have fun improve their skills and enjoy playing the greatest game that man has invented – hockey,” Kingston said “Everyone who pursues the different Paralympic sports disciplines is a winner and I enjoy seeing athletes enjoying the sport I love to play and coach Head of Development on IPC Ice Sledge Hockey’s Sport Technical Committee Koester will work with the Slovakian Paralympic Committee who are responsible for ice sledge hockey in the country on how they can recruit more players and raise awareness of the sport Coaches from the Slovakian national team will also be involved The event forms part of a wider IPC Ice Sledge Hockey outreach project to develop the sport around the world La decisión tiene efecto inmediato tras una votación en una reunión extraordinaria del European Aquatics Bureau el 24 de abril we are discussing the madness that occurred at the Ft Lauderdale Pro Swim Marchand has a few areas of improvement to work on if he hopes to return to his Paris form at the World Championships this summer in Singapore having tight battles in both the 200 and 400 IM but ultimately touching 2nd in both Angela Martinez Guillen won her first over individual World Cup title in her home country Italy swept the podium on the men’s side November 26th, 2015 Europe, International, News At the end of 2014 Slovak swimmer Vladimir Stefanik gave a Christmas present to his fans and to himself won a total of four titles of Slovak Champion in short course pool Two were junior titles  in the 50m and 100m butterflies Another title was absolute – accompanied by vigorous cheering from the spectators he managed to swim the 100m freestyle in time of 49.59 by which he won in junior and senior category simultaneously By this time he cut the junior record that had stood until that time and he was 13 hundredths from breaking the senior record It didn’t even take a whole year for Stefanik to repeat this success During the Autumn Championships of the Central Slovak region he broke his old junior record in this race and by the time of 49.42 he also set up new senior record on 21st of November had been held by Roman Kucik from club VSC Dukla Banska Bystrica from 2010 17-year-old Stefanik is a swimmer from club KPS Nereus Zilina in which he’s been training since 2007 under the coach Juraj Skopal (with Vladimir in the picture below) Since January 2013 he is representing Slovakia in junior category He considers his greatest success participating in semi-final of 100m butterfly at the first European Games in Baku in that race he ended up in 12th place with a new junior Slovak record in the time of 54.59 He achieved great results at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2015 in Singapore The biggest achievement was breaking the 33-year-old record (!) of legendary swimmer Marcel Gery is an Olympic swimmer from Barcelona in 1992 and he became the Champion of Canada twenty times and in the state of Ontario you can find his name in the Hall of Fame Until now he is a holder of some of the Slovak records Photo Courtesy: Peter Sukenik/www.petersukenik.com she is also a record-holder on 100m breaststroke in short course pool She improved her one-year-old record by 52 hundredths to the time of 1:07.34 Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" More from Peter SukenikSee All Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our latest updates Arsenic in the water in Orava region is 32-times the maximum level For years Ján Šimún has been monitoring arsenic leaking into the Orava River from an area with three dumps located just one kilometre from the town of Dolný Kubín After he spoke about the poisoned water at the Dolný Kubín city council in June the company responsible for one of the three dumps sued him The last straw for former city council member Šimún was the information that the Environment Ministry instead of immediately dealing with the contamination is now deciding whether it will allow more trash to be dumped in the area “How can they deal with arsenic at the place when another layer of the municipal solid waste should be dumped there?” Šimún told The Slovak Spectator The OFZ Company is responsible for one of the three dumps but is currently not using it because it no longer produces construction waste It recorded Šimún’s speech at the city council and sued him for libel “It is threatening not only me but also other activists,” Šimún says “If we back down they will be allowed to do whatever they want.” Šimún is lying and twisting facts claims that it wants to use the money to support ecological activities in the region “We could not remain inactive after the last fabricated accusation which he presented at the city council,” OFY spokesperson Ľuboš Schwarzbacher told The Slovak Spectator “We have to defend ourselves.” The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.skSubscribe now for full access Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail) PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk World Champion ties the knot with longtime girlfriend in local ceremony Sagan announces his new-found depth with rainbow jersey win Gallery: Sagan steals the show at the inaugural UCI Cycling Gala Sagan indulges his playful streak at Sportful HQ - gallery The ceremony took place at noon local time in the Roman Catholic church in Dolny Kubin in northern Slovakia according to Slovakian website Aktualne.sk Sagan and Smolkova then moved on to their reception at a luxury hotel in Pleso.  Sagan wielded a chainsaw to cut through a traditional "gate" that blocked his path to Smolkova's house The couple arrived at the church with Smolkova dressed in a traditional white gown and Peter Sagan decked out in an ornately decorated traditional jacket The guest list for the wedding was noticeably absent of celebrities with friends and family of the bride and groom making up most of those in attendance a large crowd of fans and well-wishers gathered to see the couple off to their reception which included guests from throughout Europe Security was tight as the Sagans drove away This region in northern Slovakia is a place of active pursuits as well The Orava region, spreading in the north of central Slovakia, boasts one of the country’s major landmarks, Orava Castle, where the legendary 1922 film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was filmed this attraction is not what lures long queues of locals every day Many of them travel to one of the major regional towns to have a scoop or two of ice cream from the Callo ice cream parlour and they do not mind waiting in line on a scorching day “This is the most delicious ice cream I’ve tried in my life,” Tamari Mikatsadze Her Georgian friend and volunteer Tatia Basilaia agreed with a nod in which several places are named after the famous Slovak writer Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav it is a good starting point for trips around the region The huge and architecturally stunning Orava Castle built on a high rock in the nearby Oravský Podzámok village was one of the things that Basilaia had come across on the Internet before she moved to Slovakia “I really enjoyed it,” she said noting history buffs would definitely like the place visitors can stop by the small Kastelán brewery right below the castle and try local beers Some of them bear the name of noble people such as Juraj Thurzo Just a stone’s throw from the village adventure-seekers may go rafting on the Orava River in traditional wooden rafts This nearly one-hour thrilling journey ends in Oravský Podzámok in a spot with the best view of Orava Castle which not many countries offer,” Vladimír Klocok a native and a thrill-seeker from the village of Vyšný Kubín Before tourists decide to raft on the river with guides wearing traditional clothing they had better check the strength of their voices they will be asked to shout “ahoj” to hear the loud echo of their voices tourists can hike up and down the Orava region as well including the highest peak of the region Baníkov in the Western Tatras One of the most sought-after hiking areas of this mountain range is called Roháče you feel you are in the mountains,” Klocok said Since he grew up in Vyšný Kubín his favourite hike leads to the splendid Veľký Choč peak in the Chočské vrchy hills The skiing and ski mountaineering enthusiast also lists the Kubínska hoľa hill “I have been skiing there since I was a little boy,” he said which runs different services and activities outside of winter is indeed well-connected through a century ride of 119 kilometres Cyclists can also bike from the town of Trstená – famous for its pottery - up to the Polish town of Nowy Targ Many Slovaks come here to do their shopping ahead of Christmas people can also get from the Oravská Lesná village to an extraordinary tourist attraction situated in the rural locality of Tanečník: a forest railway It is easier and faster to reach the sight by car “This railway was used only for the transportation of wood and was built in 1918,” conductor Jozef Ferenčík said Only a few kilometres of it have been preserved to date The one-hour train ride takes visitors through a forest which will house an exhibition on the life of Gorals – highlanders living in the Orava region and southern Poland – is currently under construction by the hilltop Beskyd station is the massive Orava water dam with a new waterfront built by the town of Námestovo several villages and parts of the town were flooded in the 1940s and 1950s which starts cruises from the Slanická osada settlement takes tourists around a bird island and to Slanica Island including Rio de Klin with a high statue of Jesus are scattered around the historical region of Orava waiting to be explored by tourists from all over the world No wonder a well-known folk song about the region is called “Orava is good.” This podcast was supported by the Žilina Tourism Region and implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic. To get the most out of our content, including fees, please confirm your age The username can only contain letters, numbers and underscores. Username can only contain letters, numbers and underscores. Length between 4-16 characters. Registration has been successfully completed. Make a new account if you don't have one yet Puedes ver la versión Española de BeSoccer.com. You can see the English version of BeSoccer.com. Vous pouvez voir la version French de BeSoccer.com. Puoi vedere la versione Italian su BeSoccer.com. Você pode ver a versão Brasileira de BeSoccer.com. A popular exhibition of local naïve art from nearby villages is accessible only by boat from the Orava Dam. The Orava Gallery in Dolný Kubín has opened its 45th season at the Slanica Art Island (Slanický Ostrov Umenia) at the Orava Dam. Visitors can see the permanent exhibition of traditional folk art, which includes polychrome wooden and stone statues, and reverse glass paintings dating back to the 18th to 20th centuries, the SITA newswire wrote. Slanica, a small gallery ship, will sail to the island from the harbour in Slanická Osada. The boat cruise, including the tour of the island and the outdoor naïve art collection and the indoor gallery tour, lasts for about 90 minutes. The island in the middle of the Orava Dam is a remnant of the original landscape that was flooded when the dam was built. The outdoor exposition represents original tombstones decorated with the art of local inhabitants. The hill with a church and a calvary used to be the dominant feature of the village of Slanica, which was flooded in 1953 along with four other villages. The church interior includes an exposition of traditional sculpting art and paintings. In front of it stands a monument commemorating Anton Bernolák, a Slanica native who first made the unified Slovak language official (using western dialect). Within the Musical Summer project, classical music concerts will take place at the island during the summer season, TASR wrote. The ship will be in operation until September 23. During high tourist season, the exposition at the Slanický Art Island is seen by tens of thousands of visitors every year. Peter Sagan and his wife Katarina Smolkova release doves after their wedding in the town of Dolny Kubin in North Slovakia (Getty) Source: Getty Images SLOVAK cyclist Peter Sagan married his girlfriend Katarína Smolková on November 11, in the Roman-Catholic Church of St Catherine of Alexandria in Dolný Kubín. The cycling star who recently won several accolades caused - together with his wife - quite an uproar in his wife's native town in northern Slovakia. He also appeared in the local folk costume. Sagan arrived in a vintage communist-era vehicle of the Trabant brand, while the bride rode in a more posh white vintage car. The current world champion of the Tinkoff-Saxo team, aged 25, had been expected to marry his long-time girlfriend for some time already, and he chose the “magic” date with four ones, maybe meant to symbolise his winning spree, the TASR newswire opined. Katarína, a manager from Dolný Kubín, almost two years older, used to appear regularly in public with Sagan. She drew attention in the finals of the Miss Universe 2008 contest. After the church ceremony, they left for the reception at the Kempinski Hotel at Štrbské Pleso. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Slovakia (@missslovensko)