The 2013 edition of the event is due take place this summer from May 3 until 19 across two locations in Helsinki in Finland and Stockholm in Sweden while the 2014 competition will take place next summer from May 9 until 25 in Minsk in Belarus.

The American company, the world's third-largest generic pharmaceutical company, will receive a comprehensive rights package for both the 2013 and 2014 Ice Hockey World Championships that includes exposure across every single game.

"The rise in viewing figures and transmission time has convinced us that the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is an effective way of presenting our new brand identity to a large public," said the senior vice-president of Actavis Europe Lars Ramneborn.

"There is an excellent price-performance ratio and in a way that focuses on our target markets."

Actavis join other key sponsors for the event including Škoda, Beiersdorf, Henkel, Kyocera, MegaFon, Nike, Ochota, Raiffeisen Bank International, Tissot and Zepter.

The 2013 World Ice Hockey Championships will be the 77th edition of the event and the last major international ice hockey tournament before the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.

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