The Dane has served as the Danish Ice Hockey Association chief executive for the last 11 years, having been appointed in 2003.

That position will now be filled by the Union's sports director Ulrik Larsen, as Hansen looks forward to organising the Championships, due to be held in the cities of Copenhagen and Herning in May 2018.

"During his 11-year leadership of the Danish Ice Hockey Association, we saw a tripling of our revenue built on a solid economy, and Denmark has achieved a position among the top nations of the ice hockey sport," said Henrik Bach-Nielsen, President of the Danish Ice Hockey Association.

"So it is an obvious choice for us to let Enver Hansen manage a complex and important management project, our hockey World Cup 2018."

The Championships will be played across 17 days and will see 16 nations including Denmark compete for the title.

The 2018 championships will be held in the cities of Copenhagen and Herning ©AFP/Getty Images



The 2015 World Championships are set to be held in the Czech Republic in May, with Russia bidding to retain their title.

Bach-Nielsen, speaking of Hansen's successor, said: "Ulrik Larsen was the natural choice for us as a new Danish Ice Hockey Union director.

"Ulrik has a broad and deep sporting and commercial experience, and he has also had more than six years in the Danish Ice Hockey Union, so he is familiar with our issues and has built up a large network among our internal and external partners."

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