Slovak Hockey Republic

The Ice Hockey World Championship starts in Bratislava on Friday with 16 teams competing. The Slovak squadron starts their first match in the evening playing against USA in Košice, eastern Slovakia. With regards to the tournament, 40 extraordinary flights have been reported to Milan Rastislav Stefanik airport in Bratislava, western Slovakia. Information related to the ice hockey championship will be provided to incoming fans by the Bratislava Tourist Board immediately at the airport's info point. The capital's municipality plans to make ice hockey fans use public transport instead of cars. If they have a ticket for a match, they can use public transport for free on the day of the match. Nevertheless, taxi services will be labelled with a Fair Play taxi sticker proving they have agreed on fair fees recommended by the Bratislava city hall to avoid taking advantages of foreigners. Despite threatening a strike, public transport services will operate in both Bratislava and Košice with no breaks. The drivers of public transport vehicles in Košice went on strike two days ahead of the start of the tournament demanding a 10% salary hike.