Switzerland

Switzerland is a country in Western Europe. Bern is the capital, and Zurich is the largest city.

History of hockey in Switzerland
The first ice hockey games in Switzerland were played in 1902. In 1923, the first Spengler Cup, which is Europe's oldest tournament for club teams, was contested. In 1926, Switzerland's first indoor ice rink opened in Davos.

In 1908, the Swiss Hockey Union was founded, and the country became a founding member of the Ligue International de Hockey Sur Glace (the present day IIHF) on November 23 of the same year.

The National League A is the top level league, and the National League B is the second level league. The Swiss 1 Liga, 2. Liga, 3. Liga, and 4. Liga make up the Regio League, which comprises the 3rd-6th level Swiss leagues. Before the founding of the National League A in 1937, there were championships with and without imports allowed. The Swiss National Championship with no imports allowed existed from 1909-1937, and the Swiss International Championship, with imports, existed from 1915-1933. The Swiss Cup was held annually from 1957-1966.

The men's national team made its international debut in 1909, playing in the first Coupe de Chamonix, held in Chamonix, France. They participated in the European Championships eight times between 1910 and 1932, winning the gold medal in 1926, and the bronze medal in 1922, 1924, 1925, and 1932. They made participated in the first World Championship in 1930, winning the bronze medal. In total, they have won one silver and six bronze medals at the World Championships, all them coming between 1930 and 1953. Their best finish since then was fourth in 1992 and 1998. They have participated in the Olympics 13 times, with their first appearance being in 1920. They won the bronze medal in 1928 and 1948, their two best finishes to date.

The women's national team first appeared on the international scene in 1987, playing in the Women's World Hockey Tournament, in which they finished fifth in. They participated in the European Championships five times between 1989 and 1996, winning the bronze medal in 1995. They played in the first Women's World Championship in 1990. In 2012, they won the bronze medal, their best ever result at the Women's Worlds. The women's national team has played in the Olympics twice, finishing in seventh place in 2006, and in fifth place in 2010. The women's U18 national team has participated in the Women's World U18 Championships yearly since 2008.

The junior national team first participated in the World Junior Championships in 1978, finishing in eighth place. Fourth place at the world juniors in 2002 and 2010 are their two best finishes to date.