Welcome greetings

Welcome words from Mayor Harald Birkenkamp to the Inline-Hockey Men World Cup 2008 in Ratingen

This year, the players of inline hockey are discovering the ice rink in Ratingen, after the street hockey World Cup took part last year. I would like to welcome all sportsmen and guests to the Men World Cup in Ratingen City. By the way women are playing for their title at the ice rink in Benrath.

The ice rink in Ratingen is a big stage to all friends of Inline hockey during the ice free time. Therefore you will find a lot of hobby inline hockey teams in town, who enlarge the wide range of sport activities here in Ratingen during the summer months.

We are looking forward welcoming 17 teams from four continents at the Inline Hockey World Cup. This event gives Ratingen City another chance to represent itself as an international sport friendly city.

I am pleased to be the patron of the Inline Hockey Men World Cup here in Ratingen. I wish all teams good luck and all viewers exciting and fair Games.

Harald Birkenkamp
Mayor of Ratingen City

A word of welcome

Düsseldorf's sports friends can look forward to a particular highlight with the Ladies' Inline Hockey World Championship from 6 to 12 July 2008. Teams from ten nations will be competing for title honours and will thrill the fans of this speedy sport with their individual sporting skills and the tactical finesse of their team play. I extend a very warm Düsseldorf welcome to the teams from Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Japan, Namibia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the USA and Germany. I am delighted that sportswomen from four continents are coming to the sports city of Düsseldorf. This is yet another event where our city can impressively display the great hosting qualities which attract and win over sportsmen and women, fans and officials from almost every sport.

To the competing teams I wish a successful tournament. May the best team win and return home proudly as world champions! To the fans I wish unforgettable matches and the thrill of following them from the edge of the field. I hope, too, that the invitation to this sporting event will be taken up by large numbers of young and old.

With sporting greetings

Dirk Elbers
Mayor of Düsseldorf
State capital of North Rhine-Westphalia