 The IIHF considers the ice hockey tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics to be the first Ice Hockey World Championship . It was organized by a committee that included future IIHF president Paul <unk> . The tournament was played from 23 April to 29 April . Seven teams participated : Canada , Czechoslovakia , the United States , Switzerland , Sweden , France and Belgium . Canada , represented by the Winnipeg Falcons , won the gold medal , outscoring opponents 27 – 1 . The United States and Czechoslovakia won the silver and bronze medals respectively . Following the 1921 Olympic Congress in Lausanne , the first Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix , France , though they were only officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) as such in the following year . 
