Deutscher Eislauf-Verband

The Deutsche Eislauf-Verband (DELV) was the national skating association of East Germany. It served as the governing body for ice hockey, speed skating, and curling.

History

The Sektion Eis- und Rollhockey, which later became a section of the DELV, was admitted into the International Ice Hockey Federation on June 9, 1954. The East German National Team had made its international debut back in 1951.

The DELV was created on August 31, 1958, and incorporated the former hockey section into its association.

In addition to the national team, the association also administrated the East German national leagues. They oversaw the reduction of the DDR-Oberliga to two teams and the dissolution of the lower-level leagues in 1970.

The East German national team took part in their last World Championship in 1990. Even prior to that, the hockey section had withdrawn from the DELV and was constituted in January 1990 as an independent German Ice Hockey Association of the GDR, and immediately began talks with the German Ice Hockey Federation in terms of a joint collaboration. On September 11, 1990, it was incorporated into the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund.

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia