The Ambassador of Ukraine to Finland, Ольга Діброва, was honored to throw the first puck in the game between the ice hockey teams Ilves Hockey and Tappara official.

The city of Tampere is known as the hockey capital of Finland, and its teams occupy the first steps in the national championship. Last year, the fantastic sports arena Nokia Arena was added to the hockey glory of the city - the best in Finland and one of the best in Europe. In the spring, the arena became the site of the 2023 World Hockey Championship.

This year, the Aamulehti Tampere Cup 2023 tournament is special, because 50% of the profit will be donated to Ukraine, namely to the charity fund of the Hockey Federation of Ukraine Ukrainian Hockey Dream.

In her speech at the arena before the match, Olga Dibrova noted: "In 1989, the Ukrainian hockey team "Sokil" not only took part in the competition in Tampere, but also won. Today, many Ukrainian athletes defend our Motherland on the battlefield. We believe that with the support of our partners, Ukraine will soon win, and Ukrainian athletes will return to the competition".

Ambassador also noted the role of the city of Tampereen kaupunki - a sister city of Kyiv, thanked the Mayor of the city Kalervo Kummola, the organizers of the competition and the city's residents for their comprehensive support during the full-scale russian aggression.

More than 5,000 spectators watched the match.

The tournament was organized thanks to the cooperation between the hockey federations of Ukraine and Finland, the sister cities of #Kyiv and #Tampere. They were glad to welcome the Ukrainian delegation, which included Olena Govorova, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration and Oleksandra Slavytska, Vice-President of the Hockey Federation of Ukraine.