Austria women ice hockey team fight for future generations
Austria are getting ready for their first Women's Ice Hockey World Championship. But preparations have been overshadowed by a dispute about conditions, pay and getting men's cast off kit. A solution now looks in sight.
In Slovakia last month, the Austrian women's national ice hockey team faced challenges by not fielding 11 of their top players. Captain Anna Meixner explained that the team had been wrestling with grievances since March, but only went public as a last resort. Among their nine demands were issues with accommodation, lack of heated dressing rooms, not being paid per diems, and using hand-me-down equipment from the men's team.
Meixner stated they had tried to resolve the situation internally without outside interference. The final push came during a February training camp, where they witnessed poor conditions firsthand. The team threatened to boycott the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship in Denmark if their demands were not addressed, which led the ÖEHV (Austrian Ice Hockey Association) to engage in constructive dialogue with the players.
The ÖEHV responded to each of the nine demands, outlining steps for implementing clear regulations on per diems, providing adequate accommodation and catering, and ensuring sufficient time for travel and recovery. Meixner expressed pride in the team's perseverance and hopes that this will be a significant step for Austrian women's sports.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
