British fans heading to Russia for the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship will face a simplified visa application process.

Sergey Korneyev, a Deputy Head of the Russian Tourism Agency, has confirmed that ice hockey fans will be offered special conditions to gain entry into the country.

“The visa regime will be simplified, the visa issuance procedure will be quicker, but everything will be done in line with the international security regulations,” he said.

The tournament, scheduled to take place in Moscow and St Petersburg from 6-22 May, is proving popular with almost half of the tickets sold already.

The World Championship has been held in Russia six times, with Moscow the venue in 1957, 1973, 1979, 1986 and 2007, and St Petersburg in 2000.

Russia has won the gold medal 27 times (22 as the Soviet Union), with their most recent victory in 2014 where they defeated Finland 5-2 in the final.

Reigning champions Canada hold the record for the most ever medals with 25 gold, 12 silver and 9 bronze for a total of 47.

Russia are the current 7/4 favourites with Bet365 for the tournament, with Canada just behind on 2/1. Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic and the United States are next in the betting.

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