Olympics-Costs force smaller surface for 2010 ice hockey

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 8 (Reuters) Ice hockey will be played on the smaller North American-sized surface during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver in a bid to save money, organisers said.

Olympic hockey has traditionally been played on the larger ice surfaces used in European leagues, but officials said the change would save an estimated 10 million Canadian dollars in construction costs and allow room for more seats.

Games organisers warned in February construction costs were running 23 percent higher than was forecast when the city was awarded the Olympics three years ago.

At least one of the Vancouver arenas scheduled to be used in the 2010 Games would have needed a major reconstruction to support the larger international-sized ice surface.

The International Ice Hockey Federation has agreed to the change.

The standard North American-sized ice hockey surface is 60 meters by 26 meters (200 feet by 85 feet) compared to the international size of 60 meters by 30 metres (200 feet by 98.5 feet).

REUTERS AY RK1020