Kim Pedersen has been appointed as the new IIHF sport director ©IIHF

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has hired Kim Pedersen as the organisation's new sport director.

The appointment comes with the men's IIHF World Championship continuing in Riga and Tampere and the three-day IIHF Congress beginning today.

Fifty-year-old Pedersen will begin his new role in July after joining the IIHF from the Danish Ice Hockey Union, where he currently works as interim chief executive.

Christian Hofstetter, the current IIHF sport director, is leaving to become general secretary of the Organising Committee for the 2026 World Championship in Switzerland.

Pedersen has an extensive ice hockey background, including working as general manager of Denmark's national teams.

Kim Pedersen has a long history in Danish ice hockey ©Getty Images
Kim Pedersen has a long history in Danish ice hockey ©Getty Images

Other roles include head of administration and director of league operations for Metal Ligaen, the highest tier ice hockey league in Denmark.

He has also been a game official - serving as an IIHF officiating coach since 2008 - and a member of the IIHF Officiating Committee since 2012.

He has worked with officials in a coaching role for the last 20 years.

In 2018, he was involved with the organisation of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Denmark, working as director of sports and competition.

At the time it was the largest single sporting event ever staged in the country.