Noora Räty becomes ambassador for 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

Noora Räty, one of the all-time best goaltenders in women's ice hockey, has become an ambassador for the figure skating event of the century. Räty has tended the goal for the Finnish women's national ice hockey team at three Olympics and several World Championships. This season Räty will be stopping pucks between KJT's goalposts in the men's Suomi-sarja league.

Various cooperative efforts with the aim of breaking the boundaries between art and sport will be carried out at The World Figure Skating Championships in late March - early April, and the competition's ambassadors will play a significant role in these efforts. The Worlds2017 ambassadors are part of the competition event, and they can give out tickets to a group of their choice and so give them the gift of a unique experience.

- It's a privilege to act as ambassador for the figure skating World Championships in 2017, especially as the competition will take place in my home region. The Worlds in Helsinki will provide an opportunity to show the whole world how to organize a unique, once-in-a-lifetime event. It's a pleasure to be able to show the world what a great country Finland is.

- I've always envied the bladework, body control and explosive power of figure skaters. These are skills that are very important to hockey players as well, Räty says admiringly.

The Finnish Figure Skating Association will host the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki from 29 March to 2 April, 2017. The World Championships will be the most important sporting event in the metropolitan area during Finland’s centenary celebration year. More than 65,000 spectators and 200 athletes are expected to attend the World Figure Skating Championships. An estimated 300 million viewers will be watching the competition on TV. Finland last hosted the Worlds in 1999.