THE SIDELINES : Yearly Hockey Matches Planned

The world hockey championship, which was not contested in Olympic years during the 1980s, will probably return to an annual format, international hockey figures say.

The proposal won widespread support during a recent International Ice Hockey Federation congress in Zurich, Switzerland, and is expected to be formally adopted at meetings during the 1990 world championship in Bern, Switzerland, next April.

The return to annual world tournaments was spurred by the International Olympic Committee’s decision to hold Winter Games in 1992 then again in 1994, as part of its plan to alternate Winter and Summer Games every two years.