GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AP) — The women's hockey tournament will be expanded from eight teams to 10 for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation says he believes the talent gap between the North American powerhouse teams and the rest of the world will close much faster than it took on the men's side of the game.
IIHF President Rene Fasel confirmed the move Monday and said it was made at the request of Beijing Olympics organizers.
"I think the women are coming closer," Fasel said.
The IIHF already has announced expanding the 2019 world championships to 10 teams, and IIHF council chairwoman Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer said the quality of women's hockey around the world is good enough for this step.