The taking part in surface, called a bandy discipline or bandy rink, is a sheet of ice which measures 90-one hundred ten metres by 45-65 metres, icefield mystake about the dimensions of a soccer pitch. The sphere is considerably larger than the ice rinks commonly used for ice hockey.

The sport is considered a form of hockey and has a common background with association football, ice hockey, shinty and subject hockey. Bandy's origins are debatable, but its first rules were organised and published in England in 1882.

Internationally, bandy's strongest nations in each males's and girls's competitions at current are Sweden and Russia; both international locations have established skilled men's bandy leagues. In Russia, it's estimated that more than a million individuals play bandy.[quotation wanted] The sport additionally has organised league play and fans in other countries, together with Finland, Norway and Kazakhstan. The premier international bandy competitors for men is the Bandy World Championship and the premier international bandy competition for girls is the Women's Bandy World Championship.

From the 1890s until 1955, there was no established international governing physique for bandy. The worldwide governing physique for bandy at the moment is the Federation of International Bandy (FIB) which formed in February 1955. In 2001, bandy was recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).[4] Both traditional eleven-a-facet bandy and rink bandy (which is performed on a smaller rink) are acknowledged by the IOC. Based on the variety of participating athletes, the FIB has claimed bandy is the world's second-most participated winter sport after ice hockey,[5][6][7] however it is not recorded how many of those individuals are male and what number of are feminine.

History[edit]

Background[edit]

The earliest origin of the sport is debated. Though many Russians see their old countrymen as the creators of the sport - mirrored by the unofficial title for bandy, "Russian hockey" (русский хоккей) - Russia,[8] England, Wales, and the Netherlands every had sports activities or pastimes, comparable to bando, which will be seen as forerunners of the current sport.[9] The mid-18th-century Devonshire Dialogue collection lists Bandy as "a sport, like that of Golf, by which the adverse events endeavour to beat a ball (generally a knob or gnarl from the trunk of a tree,) reverse ways... the follow which the game is played is crook'd at the tip".[10]

The sport's first printed set of organized rules was codified in 1882 in England by Charles Goodman Tebbutt of the Bury Fen Bandy Club. When the worldwide federation was based in 1955, it took place after a compromise between Russian and English guidelines, wherein extra of the English guidelines prevailed.

Since association football was already well-liked in England, the codified bandy guidelines took after much of the football guidelines. Like affiliation soccer, games are usually two forty five minute halves and there are eleven gamers per side. Players sticks are curved like large field hockey sticks and the bandy ball is roughly the scale of a tennis ball with a cork core and laborious plastic coating. Bandy balls are either orange or more generally nowadays, cerise. Shouldering is allowed in checking conditions and physique contact due to this fact does happen, however physique checking and fighting are illegal. The offside rule in bandy is in general similar to the offside guidelines used in association soccer. Goalkeepers use gloves made particularly for his or her place and wear them on both fingers however don't use any sort of stick.[11]

Early days[edit]

Bandy as an ice skating sport first developed in Britain. English bandy developed as a winter sport in the Fens of East Anglia. Large expanses of ice would type on the flooded meadows or shallow washes in chilly winters the place fen skating, which has been a tradition dating again to a minimum of medieval instances, took place.[12][13] Bandy's early recorded modernization interval will be traced back to 1813.[14]

Members of the Bury Fen Bandy Club[15] published guidelines of the game in 1882, and introduced it into other European international locations. A wide range of stick and ball games involving ice skating have been introduced to North America by the 1800s however failed to arrange and develop standard rules codes. However, these stick and ball video games grew to become one of many eventual antecedents of the fashionable sport of ice hockey, whose first rules have been codified in Canada in 1875, virtually a decade earlier than the rules of trendy bandy were established in Britain.

The first worldwide bandy match took place in 1891 between Bury Fen and the Haarlemsche Hockey & Bandy Club from the Netherlands (a club which after a couple of club fusions now could be named HC Bloemendaal). The identical yr, the National Bandy Association was established in England as a governing body for the sport in England.[16] National governing federations for bandy were also founded within the 1890s in the Netherlands and Russia and in the next decade in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

The match later dubbed "the original bandy match", was really held in 1875 on the Crystal Palace in London. However, on the time, the game was known as "hockey on the ice",[16] most likely as it was thought of an ice variant of field hockey.

An early maker of bandy sticks was the agency of Gray's, Cambridge. One such stick, now within the collections of the Museum of Cambridge, has a size of rope twisted round the handle to rescue any participant who might fall by the ice, as the game was performed on frozen lakes again then. An 1899 photo of two gamers demonstrating the sport reveals the sticks being held single-handed.[17]

Historically, bandy was a preferred sport in England and in some central and western European countries until the first World War, and from 1901 to 1926 it was performed in the Scandinavian Nordic Games,[18] the first international multi-sport occasion centered on winter sports.

Etymology[edit]

The sport's English title comes from the verb "to bandy", from the Middle French bander ("to strike back and forth"), and initially referred to a seventeenth-century Irish game similar to subject hockey.[citation needed] The curved stick was also known as a "bandy".[19] The etymological connection to the similarly named Welsh hockey game of bando isn't clear.

An old name for bandy is hockey on the ice; in the first rule books from England on the turn of the Century 1900, the sport is actually called "bandy or hockey on the ice".[20] For the reason that early 20th century, the time period bandy is usually most popular to stop confusion with ice hockey.

The sport is named bandy in lots of languages, with a couple of exceptions. In Russia, bandy known as "Russian hockey" (русский хоккей) or more regularly, and formally, "hockey with a ball" (хоккей с мячом) while ice hockey is named "hockey with a puck" (хоккей с шайбой) or more continuously simply "hockey". If the context makes it clear that bandy is the topic, it as properly may be known as simply "hockey". In Belarusian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian it is usually known as "hockey with a ball" (хакей з мячoм, хокей з м'ячем and хокей с топка respectively). In Slovak "bandy hockey" (bandyhokej) is the title. In Armenian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Mongol and Uzbek, bandy is named "ball hockey" (գնդակով հոկեյ, допты хоккей, топтуу хоккей, бөмбөгтэй хоккей and koptokli xokkey respectively). In Finnish the 2 sports activities are distinguished as "ice ball" (jääpallo) and "ice puck" (jääkiekko), in addition to in Hungarian (jéglabda; jégkorong), though in Hungarian it's extra usually referred to as "bandy" nowadays. In Estonian bandy is also referred to as "ice ball" (jääpall). In Mandarin Chinese it is "bandy ball" (班迪球). In Scottish Gaelic the identify is "ice shinty" (camanachd-deighe).[21] In outdated times shinty or shinney have been also typically used in English for bandy.[9]

Due to its similarities with association football, bandy can also be nicknamed "winter football" (Swedish: Vinterns fotboll).[1][22]

Historical relationship with affiliation football and ice hockey[edit]

Bandy and affiliation soccer[edit]

With affiliation football and hockey on ice or bandy both being popular sports activities in elements of Europe round 1900, bandy was highly influenced by football and taking after its fundamental guidelines: having a area roughly the same measurement, having the identical number of players on every crew and having the same game time (2×45 minutes).[23] It is pure that bandy bought the nickname 'winter football'.[1]

It was common for sports activities clubs to have each a bandy and a soccer section, with athletes taking part in each sports but at totally different times of the yr. Some examples are Nottingham Forest Football and Bandy Club in England (as we speak recognized simply as Nottingham Forest F.C.) and Norwegian Strømsgodset IF and Mjøndalen IF, with both having an active bandy part.

In Sweden, most soccer clubs that have been lively throughout the primary half of the 20th century also played bandy. Swedish player Orvar Bergmark earned silver medals on the planet championships of each sports activities in the 1950s. Later, as the season for each sport increased in time, it was not as straightforward for the gamers to engage in both sports activities, so some clubs came to concentrate on one or the opposite. Many outdated clubs still have each sports activities on their program. Sten-Ove Ramberg is the last Swedish participant in each nationwide groups (1978 in bandy, 1979-1984 in football).

Bandy and ice hockey[edit]

As bandy in a approach can be seen as a precursor to ice hockey,[24] bandy has influenced the development and history of ice hockey, mainly in European and former Soviet international locations. While trendy ice hockey was created in Canada, a wide range of video games which bore a better resemblance to bandy have been initially played there after British troopers introduced the game of bandy within the late nineteenth century. At the same time as modern ice hockey guidelines had been formalized in British North America (present-day Canada), bandy rules had been determined upon in Europe. A cross between English and Russian bandy rules finally developed with the football-inspired English guidelines (cf the passage above about bandy and association soccer) changing into dominant, together with the Russian low-border along most of the two sidelines, an addition to the sport which has maintained its presence because the 1950s.

Before Canadians launched ice hockey into Europe within the early twentieth century, "hockey" was one other name for bandy,[25] and still is in parts of Russia and Kazakhstan.

Both bandy and ice hockey have been performed in Europe through the 20th century, especially in Sweden, Finland, and Norway.[26] Ice hockey became extra popular than bandy in most of Europe, mostly because it had develop into an Olympic sport, whereas bandy had not. Athletes in Europe who had played bandy switched to ice hockey within the 1920s to compete in the Olympics.[27][28] The smaller ice fields wanted for ice hockey additionally made its rinks easier to maintain, particularly in international locations with quick winters.[27][29] Then again, ice hockey was not played in the Soviet Union until the 1950s, when the USSR wanted to compete internationally. The typical European model of ice hockey, with flowing, much less physical play, represents a heritage of bandy.[30]

Modern growth[edit]

First nationwide bandy league[edit]

The primary nationwide bandy league in modern historical past was began in Sweden in 1902.[16]

Bandy within the Nordic Games[edit]

Bandy was played at the Nordic Games in both Stockholm and Kristiania (current day Oslo) in 1901, 1903, 1905, 1909, 1913, 1917, 1922 and 1926, and between Swedish, Finnish and Russian teams at comparable video games in Helsinki in 1907.[31] Bandy appeared as a sport in all eight editions of the Nordic Games from 1901 to 1926.

European Bandy Championships[edit]

The 1913 European Bandy Championships was the first (and to this point, the only) European Championship tournament in bandy. It was held in February 1913, in St. Moritz, Switzerland with eight international locations collaborating,[quotation needed] however none from the Nordic nations.[16] While Germany competed, Sweden and Russia didn't, with each international locations competing within the 1913 Nordic Games instead. In 2014, the Four Nation Bandy tournament was held in Davos, Switzerland, as a centenary celebration of the 1913 European Bandy Championships.

Highest altitude[edit]

The best altitude where bandy has been performed is in Khorugh, the capital of the Tajik autonomous province of Gorno-Badakhshan.[32] Khorugh is situated 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) above sea degree in the Pamir Mountains.

World Championships and Russian performance[edit]

Because the 1950s, when the Soviet Union ended its isolation and started to take part in worldwide sports events, there was a purpose to play world championships. The International Bandy Federation was based in 1955 and the primary world championships had been played in 1957 with the Soviet Union and then Russia (as its successor country in 1993) virtually persistently in a top position within the sport of bandy alongside Sweden. Finland has won once, in 2004.

In the same trend, Russia, together with Sweden, has emerged as certainly one of the 2 dominant ladies's bandy nations internationally in the Women's Bandy World Championship.

Women's bandy[edit]

Women's bandy makes use of the exact same guidelines as men,[quotation needed] however the girls's game is performed separately. Women have been enjoying bandy for the reason that sport was initially developed.[citation wanted] Although there have been a number of makes an attempt in the early a part of the 19th century to organise bandy leagues for girls's teams,[where?] common leagues solely started in the 1970s in Sweden and Finland after which later in the 1980s in Norway and the Soviet Union.

Bandy moving indoors[edit]

Starting in the 1980s and more and more since the flip of the millennium, an increasing number of indoor arenas for bandy have been constructed (often as joint arenas to be used additionally for football or velocity skating). The use of indoor arenas makes the consequences of the weather on a game virtually insignificant, one thing which earlier all the time have been an element to consider for the teams and the audiences. However, unlike some other sports activities, bandy remains to be the same recreation with the identical guidelines indoors or outdoors and no changes are made to the rules relying on whether or not there's a roof overhead or not. Many video games, even in the best leagues, are nonetheless played outdoors. In Sweden there are extra indoor arenas than in all other international locations combined.

Overview[edit]

Bandy is played on ice, using a single spherical bandy ball. Two groups of 11 gamers every compete to get the ball into the other team's goal using bandy sticks, thereby scoring a purpose.[33] The crew that has scored more objectives at the tip of the sport is the winner. If both groups have scored an equal variety of goals, then, with some exceptions, the sport is a draw.[33] The sport is designed to be performed on a rectangular sheet of ice, called a bandy field, which is similar dimension as a football (soccer) field.

In a typical sport, players attempt to propel the ball toward their opponents' purpose through individual management of the ball, similar to by dribbling, passing the ball to a teammate, and taking pictures at the purpose, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing gamers may try to regain management of the ball by intercepting a move or tackling the opponent who controls the ball. However, bodily contact between opponents is restricted. Bandy is usually a free-flowing recreation, with play stopping solely when the ball has left the field of play, or when play is stopped by the referee. After a stoppage, play can recommence with a free stroke, a penalty shot or a nook stroke. If the ball has left the sector along the sidelines, the referee must decide which group touched the ball final, and award a restart stroke to the opposing group, just like soccer's throw-in.[33]

In terms of rules, bandy has a number of guidelines which can be just like football. Each crew has eleven players, one in all whom is a goalkeeper. The offside rule, which generally is similar to the one utilized in soccer, can also be employed.[33] A goal can't be scored from a objective throw, however unlike soccer, a goal may be scored from a stroke-in or a nook stroke.[34] All free strokes are "direct" and permit a purpose to be scored with out another player touching the ball. A primary rule is that players (apart from the goalkeepers) could not deliberately contact the ball with their heads, palms or arms throughout play. Although gamers often use their sticks to maneuver the ball around, they may use any a part of their our bodies aside from their heads, arms or arms and will use their skates in a limited manner.

The rules do not specify any player positions apart from goalkeeper,[33] however a variety of participant specialisations have evolved. Broadly, these include three most important classes:

- forwards, whose primary activity is to score goals- defenders, who specialize in preventing their opponents from scoring- midfielders, who take the ball from the opposition and go it to the forwards.
Players in these positions are known as outfield gamers, to discern them from the only goalkeeper. These positions are additional differentiated by which facet of the sphere the player spends most time in. For example, there are central defenders, and left and proper midfielders. The ten outfield gamers could also be arranged in these positions in any combination (for example, there could also be three defenders, five midfielders, and two forwards), and the variety of gamers in every position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders would create a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, whereas the reverse would create a slower, more defensive style of play. While players might spend most of the game in a particular place, there are few restrictions on player movement, and gamers can swap positions at any time. The structure of the gamers on the pitch known as the team's formation, and defining the workforce's formation and techniques is often the prerogative of the staff's supervisor(s). Formation in bandy is commonly comparable to the formation in affiliation football.

Rules[edit]

There are eighteen rules in official play, designed to apply to all ranges of bandy, although sure modifications for teams such as juniors, veterans or girls are permitted. The foundations are sometimes framed in broad terms, which permit flexibility in their utility relying on the nature of the game.[33] A recreation is officiated by a referee, the authority and enforcer of the principles, whose selections are closing. The referee may have one or two assistant referees. A secretary exterior of the sector often takes care of the match protocol.[33]

The Bandy Playing Rules may be found on the official web site of the Federation of International Bandy,[33] and are overseen by the foundations and Referee Committee.

Players[edit]

Each team consists of a most of eleven players (excluding substitutes), certainly one of whom must be the goalkeeper. A workforce of fewer than eight players might not start a game. Goalkeepers are the one players allowed to play the ball with their palms or arms, and they're solely allowed to take action inside the penalty space in front of their very own aim.[3]

Though there are a variety of positions during which the outfield (non-goalkeeper) gamers are strategically positioned by a coach, these positions are not outlined or required by the principles of the game.[33]

The positions and formations of the players in bandy are virtually the identical as the common affiliation football positions and the same terms are used for the totally different positions of the gamers. A staff usually consists of defenders, midfielders and forwards. The defenders can play in the form of centre-backs, full-backs and generally wing-backs, midfielders playing in the centre, attacking or defensive, and forwards within the form of centre ahead, second strikers and generally a winger. Sometimes one participant is also taking on the function of a libero.

Any number of gamers may be changed by substitutes throughout the course of the game. Substitutions may be performed with out notifying the referee and could be carried out while the ball is in play. However, the substitute should go away the ice before the teammate enters it. A crew can carry at probably the most 4 substitutes to the sport, five if one of those is an additional goalkeeper.[3]

Formation[edit]

Formation in bandy describes how the players in a workforce usually place themselves on the rink and is often comparable to the formation in affiliation football. The workforce's manager(s) define the team's formation whereas techniques are usually their prerogative as properly.

Bandy is a fluid and fast-shifting recreation, and (with the exception of the goalkeeper) a participant's position in a formation does not define their position as rigidly as for, for example, a rugby player, nor are there episodes in play where players must expressly line up in formation (as in gridiron soccer). The bandy video games are more much like association soccer on this regard. Nevertheless, a participant's place in a formation usually defines whether a participant has a principally defensive or attacking function, and whether they tend to play towards one side of the pitch or centrally.[35]

Duration and tie-breaking measures[edit]

A regular grownup bandy match consists of two periods of forty five minutes each, generally known as halves. Each half runs repeatedly, which means the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play; the referee can, nevertheless, make allowance for time lost via vital stoppages as described under. There is normally a 15-minute half-time break. The end of the match is known as full-time.[33]

The referee is the official timekeeper for the match and will make an allowance for time misplaced by way of substitutions, injured gamers requiring attention, or different stoppages. This added time is commonly known as stoppage time or injury-time, and should be reported to the match secretary and the 2 captains. The referee alone alerts the tip of the match.[33]

If it is vitally chilly or if it is snowing, the match can be damaged into thirds of half-hour every. On the extremely cold 1999 World Championship some matches were performed in 4 periods of quarter-hour each and with extra long breaks in between. On this planet Championships the two halves may be half-hour every for the nations in the B division.

In league competitions, games might end in a draw, however in some knockout competitions if a sport is tied at the tip of regulation time it could go into further time, which normally consists of two additional 10-minute durations. If the score remains to be tied after further time, the game shall be decided on penalties. The teams shoot five penalties each and if this does not settle the game, the teams shoot yet one more penalty every until one among them misses and the opposite scores.

Ball in and out of play[edit]

Under the foundations, the two primary states of play throughout a game are ball in play and ball out of play. From the start of every enjoying interval with a stroke-off (a set strike from the centre-spot by one group) until the top of the taking part in interval, the ball is in play always, except when either the ball leaves the field of play, or play is stopped by the referee. When the ball becomes out of play, play is restarted by certainly one of six restart methods relying on the way it went out of play:

- Stroke-off- Goal-throw- Corner stroke- Free-strokePenalty shotFace-off
If the time runs out whereas a group is making ready for a free-stroke or penalty, the strike should still be made however it should go into the purpose by one shot to rely as a purpose. Similarly, a goal made via a corner stroke should be allowed, nevertheless it must be executed using only one shot in addition to the strike wanted to place the ball in play.[33]

Free-strokes and penalty shots[edit]

Free-strokes will be awarded to a team if a participant of the alternative workforce breaks any rule, for example, by hitting with the stick in opposition to the opponent's stick or skates. Free-strokes can be awarded upon incorrect execution of nook-strikes, free-strikes, purpose-throws, and so forth. or using incorrect equipment, comparable to a broken stick.[33]

Rather than stopping play, the referee might allow play to proceed when its continuation will benefit the workforce in opposition to which an offence has been dedicated. This is named "taking part in an advantage". The referee might "name back" play and penalise the unique offence if the anticipated advantage doesn't ensue within a brief time period, sometimes taken to be four to five seconds. Even when an offence is just not penalised as a result of the referee plays a bonus, the offender should be sanctioned (see beneath) for any related misconduct at the subsequent stoppage of play.[33]

If a defender violently assaults an opponent within the penalty space, a penalty shot is awarded. Certain other offences, when carried out inside the penalty space, for instance a defender holding or hooking an attacker, or blocking a goal situation with a lifted skate, thrown stick or glove and so on result in a penalty shot. Also, the defenders (with the exception of the aim-keeper) are usually not allowed to kneel or lie on the ice. The ultimate offences that might mandate a penalty shot are those of hitting or blocking an opponent's stick or touching the ball with the arms, arms, stick or head. A 10-minute penalty or a purple card could also be issued to the offending player as effectively.

Warnings and penalties[edit]

A ten-minute penalty is indicated by means of the use of a blue card and might be attributable to protesting or behaving incorrectly, attacking an opponent violently or stopping the ball incorrectly to get an advantage.

The third time a player receives a time penalty, it will likely be a personal penalty, meaning he or she's going to miss the remainder of the match. A substitute can enter the field after five or ten minutes, relying on the type of time penalty obtained. A full sport penalty could be obtained upon utilizing abusive language or instantly attacking an opponent and means that the player can neither play nor be substituted for the remainder of the sport. A match penalty is indicated via the use of a pink card.

Offside[edit]

The offside rule effectively limits the flexibility to attack gamers to stay ahead (i.e. nearer to the opponent's purpose-line) of the ball, the second-to-final defending player (which may embrace the goalkeeper), and the half-method line. This rule is basically similar to that of soccer.[33]

Equipment[edit]

The basic gear players are required to put on includes a pair of bandy skates, a helmet, a mouthguard and, in the case of the goalkeeper, a faceguard.

The groups should wear uniforms that make it simple to distinguish the two teams. The goalkeeper wears distinct colours to be singled out from his or her teammates, just as in soccer. The ice skates, sticks and any tape on the stick should be of one other color than the bandy ball, which is orange or cerise.[33]

Along with the aforementioned objects, varied pieces of gear are used to protect the knees, elbows, genitals and throat. The pants and gloves may comprise padding.

Bandy stick[edit]

The stick used in bandy is a necessary a part of the sport. It needs to be made from an authorised materials such as wood or a similar material and shouldn't contain any metal or sharp components which might damage the surrounding gamers.

Sticks are crooked and are available in five angles, the place 1 has the smallest bend and 5 has the most. Bend 4 is the most common size in skilled bandy.

The bandy stick should not have similar colours to the ball, equivalent to orange or pink; it should be now not than 127 centimetres (50 in), and no wider than 7 centimetres (2.Eight in).[36]

Bandy field[edit]

A bandy field is 45-65 metres (148-213 ft) by 90-110 metres (300-360 ft), a total of 4,050-7,a hundred and fifty square metres (43,600-77,000 sq ft), or about the identical dimension as a soccer pitch and considerably bigger than an ice hockey rink. Along the sidelines a 15 cm (6 in) high border (vant, sarg, wand, wall) is placed to stop the ball from leaving the ice. It should not be hooked up to the ice, to glide upon collisions, and may finish 1-three metres (3 ft three in - 9 ft 10 in) away from the corners.

Centered at every shortline is a 3.5 m (11 ft) large and 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) excessive goal cage and in front of the cage is a half-circular penalty space with a 17 m (fifty six ft) radius. A penalty spot is positioned 12 metres (39 ft) in entrance of the objective and there are two free-stroke spots on the penalty area line, every surrounded by a 5 m (sixteen ft) circle.

A centre spot with a circle of radius 5 m (sixteen ft) denotes the middle of the sector. A centre-line is drawn via the centre spot parallel with the shortlines.

At each of the corners, a 1 m (3 ft 3 in) radius quarter-circle is drawn, and a dotted line is painted parallel to the shortline and 5 metres (16 ft) away from it with out extending into the penalty area. The dotted line will be changed with a 0.5-metre (1 ft 8 in) long line beginning at the edge of the penalty area and extending in the direction of the sideline, 5 metres (sixteen ft) from the shortline.[33]

The goal cage used in bandy is 3.5 m (11 ft) large and 2.1 m (6 ft eleven in) excessive and is the biggest one utilized by any organized winter crew sport.

Protective tools[edit]

Bandy players require protecting gear, a few of which is designed specifically for the sport such because the bandy chinguard. Equipment is similar to that worn in ice hockey however is usually smaller, lighter, and extra flexible, and more intently resembles the equipment worn in the fashionable sport of ringette.

All gamers are required to wear helmets. While some bandy gamers are required to put on facemasks such as young players, some outfield gamers solely put on a helmet with a bandy chin guard. Goaltenders are the exception and must put on a helmet and facemask at all times.

International[edit]

International games within the early years[edit]

The first international video games have been performed by club teams within the 1890s.

Starting in the first decade of the twentieth Century, friendlies have been performed between nationwide teams of some European countries. While video games like this didn't happen in central and western Europe after the 1910s, the Nordic countries of Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden continued, doing it extra usually in the course of the 1920s and thirties with annually or semi-yearly recurring friendlies between some of them.

Sweden tried to arrange friendlies with the Soviet Union within the 1940s, however it did not come to be till the 1950s.

Nordic Games[edit]

Bandy was played as one of many sports activities at the Nordic Games, international winter sports occasions held throughout the first few many years of the twentieth Century.

International federation[edit]

The Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace, or International Ice Hockey Federation, was based in 1908 and was governing some bandy competitions in its early years, before solely concentrating on ice hockey.

The Federation of International Bandy (FIB) was formed as International Bandy Federation in 1955 and has had 33 members at most, every representing a country the place bandy is performed. Currently, there are 27 members of the federation.[37] The name of the federation was changed to the current one in 2001 after the International Olympic Committee authorized it as a so-known as "recognized sport". The abbreviation "IBF" was at the time already utilized by another recognized sports activities federation, and IOC considers it vital that the official abbreviations of sports activities federations are distinctive, in order that the federations are not mistaken for one another. In 2004, FIB was fully accepted by IOC.

FIB is now a member of Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.

World Championships[edit]

The Bandy World Championship for men is arranged by the FIB and was first held in 1957. It was held every two years starting in 1961, and every year since 2003.

Currently, the report number of international locations participating on this planet Championships is twenty (2019). For the reason that number of nations taking part in bandy shouldn't be large, every country which can set up a team is welcome to participate on the earth Championship. The quality of the groups varies; nevertheless, with solely six nations, Sweden, the Soviet Union, Russia, Finland, Norway, and Kazakhstan, having won medals (allowing for the truth that Russia's group took over from the Soviet Union in 1993). Finland received the 2004 world championship in Västerås, Sweden, whereas all different championships have been won by Sweden, the Soviet Union and Russia.

The Soviet Union gained all championships until 1981, when Sweden managed to interrupt the streak of eleven straight gold medals. Sweden gained again in the subsequent tournament in 1983, however Soviet again seized the victory in 1985. The Soviet Union also gained at its final two appearances, after which Sweden gained in 1993, 1995 and 1997. Russia, having taken over after the Soviet Union, and Sweden have saved on successful all championships between them apart from 2004, when Finland managed to assert the win.

In 2020, the B division of the World Championship was played, however the A division - which was to be played a few month later - was first postponed a couple of occasions because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and later moved to the following year as the pandemic did not end. The championship tournament may however not be played in 2021 both. In 2022, the championship was lastly to be held, however since it was scheduled to be played in Russia, many national federations stated they did not wish to participate because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and it was cancelled by the FIB since this meant there would have been too few competing groups.

The primary World Championship for ladies took place in February 2004 in Lappeenranta, Finland. Sweden won the championship without conceding a purpose. In the 2014 women's World Championship Russia won for the first time, defeating Sweden, making it the primary time Sweden didn't win the world title. In 2016 Sweden took the title back.

The 2018 ladies's tournament was played in a rustic situated completely in Asia for the first time, when in was hosted in Chengde, China.[38][39] It was the identical for the men's tournament that same year (the area north and west of the Ural River is situated in Europe, thus Kazakhstan, which had hosted a world championship before, is a transcontinental nation), when Harbin hosted the 2018 Division B tournament.

The 2020 championship noticed China withdraw its participation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however the tournament was held in Norway in February and the pandemic had not yet reached Europe. In 2022 when the championship was performed in Sweden, China did not yet return, while Russia and Ukraine each withdrew due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Youth[edit]

There are also Youth Bandy World Championships in numerous age groups for boys and young males and in one age group for ladies. The oldest group is the beneath 23 championship, Bandy World Championship Y-23.

Olympic Movement[edit]

Bandy was officially acknowledged by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) underneath the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) in 2004, and was performed as a demonstration sport on the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. However, it has yet to officially be played on the Olympics.

Based on the FIB, bandy is the world's second-most participated winter sport after ice hockey primarily based on the number of participating athletes.[5][6][7] It is unclear how lots of the players participate in the male class and how many in the female class. The FIB has additionally recorded bandy (males's) as having ranked because the number two winter sport when it comes to tickets sold per day of competitions on the sport's world championship.[6]

However, compared with the seven Winter Olympic sports activities, bandy's reputation among other winter sports activities across the globe is taken into account by the International Olympic Committee to have a, "hole between popularity and participation and international audiences", which is a roadblock to future Olympic inclusion.[40]

The FIB has additionally stated that the sport ranks because the quantity two winter sport by way of tickets offered per day of competitions on the males's world bandy championship.[6] However, compared with the seven Winter Olympic sports activities, bandy's reputation amongst other winter sports across the globe is considered by the International Olympic Committee to have a "gap between reputation and participation and international audiences", which is a roadblock to future Olympic inclusion.[40] In addition, the Olympic Charter requires a sport to be extensively practiced by males in no less than 75 countries and on 4 continents, and by girls in no fewer than forty countries and on three continents with a purpose to be accepted.

FIB president Boris Skrynnik lobbied for Bandy to be included within the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, given Russia's prominence in the sport.[41] Members of the Chinese Olympic Committee had been current on the 2017 world championships to satisfy with Skrynnik about the opportunity of considering the sport for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.[42][43] However, in 2018 it was announced no new sports could be added for 2022.[44]

Asian Winter Games[edit]

At the 2011 Asian Winter Games, open to members of the Olympic Council of Asia, men's bandy was included for the primary time. Three groups contested the inaugural competition, and Kazakhstan gained the gold medal. The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, attended the final.[45][46]

There was no bandy competition at the next Games, the 2017 Asian Winter Games held in Japan.

Winter Universiade/Winter World University Games[edit]

Bandy made its debut on the Winter Universiade in the course of the 2019 Games in Krasonyarsk, Russia. Originally a six-team tournament for men and a four-group tournament for women have been deliberate to be held.[47] However, later China withdrew from the men's tournament and was alleged to be changed by Belarus.[48] Since that didn't occur either, participating groups amongst women were Russia, Sweden, Norway and the United States, while amongst men Russia, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Kazakhstan.

In 2019, the International University Sports Federation anticipated bandy to be part of the 2023 Winter World University Games (Winter World University Games being the new title of the Winter Universiade) too,[49] nevertheless, this does not seem to be so, because the hosts in Lake Placid, USA, has not included it in its preliminary schedules.

World Cup[edit]

The World Championships should not be confused with the annual Bandy World Cup competitions. The World Cup is for club groups.

Men[edit]

The Bandy World Cup for males in Ljusdal, Sweden, has been performed annually because the 1970s and is the biggest bandy tournament for elite-level club groups. It is performed indoors in Sandviken since 2009 as a result of Ljusdal has no indoor area. It is anticipated to return to Ljusdal as soon as an indoor arena has been built. World Cup matches are performed day and evening, and the tournament is played in four days in late October. The teams participating are principally, and a few years completely, from Sweden and Russia, which has the 2 finest leagues on the earth.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the Cup being cancelled in 2020 and 2021.

Women[edit]

There can also be a membership competition for women's bandy teams called Bandy World Cup Women. Its inaugural year was in 2007.[50]

European Cup[edit]

The European Cup was first played in 1974 and was a contest featuring the national men's champion group from any European country which had a nationwide bandy championship. This meant, at the time, that solely four teams competed every year, which have been the men's champions from Finland, Norway, the Soviet Union, and Sweden. After the Soviet Union had been dissolved in 1991, the Russian champions took part as an alternative. The cup just isn't formally defunct, however the last installment was performed in 2009.

Four Nations Tournament[edit]

The Federation of International Bandy usually arranges a 4 nations tournament every year between nationwide teams from Norway, Finland, Russia and Sweden. The 2022 tournament was originally set for 21-23 January, but was cancelled after the Swedish Bandy Association introduced they wouldn't be hosting it for that season.

Rossiya Tournament (Russian Government Cup)[edit]

In the course of the interval 1972-1990, the Rossiya Tournament was held semi-yearly for nationwide groups in the years when there was no world championship. This tournament was at all times played in the Soviet Union and organized by the newspaper Sovetskaya Rossiya. It was affectionately referred to as "the small world championship". From 1992 the tournament was renamed Russian Government Cup. The final instalment was performed in 2012.

Overview of international competitions[edit]

There are a number of present worldwide bandy competitions with occasions varying primarily based upon age, aggressive stage, and intercourse.

Senior[edit]

Junior[edit]

Variants of bandy and sports activities developed from bandy[edit]

7-a-facet bandy[edit]

Sorts of bandy exist, utilising the same rules only with slight variations, like seven-a-side bandy with regulation sized objective cages but without corner strokes and infrequently on a smaller sized rink. Seven-a-side bandy was in style in central Europe and in England in the late nineteenth and early 20th Centuries, while eleven-a-aspect bandy was most popular in the Nordic international locations and in Russia. Seven-a-aspect bandy guidelines had been utilized on the 1913 European Bandy Championships and at the Davos Cup in 2016.

Rink bandy[edit]

Rink bandy is a bandy variant played on an ice hockey-dimension rink.[51] It was originally conceived as a approach of training bandy within the summertime, when there have been no bandy sized indoor rinks however ice hockey rinks had started to be built indoors. Rink bandy is played by basically the same guidelines as regular bandy however on a enjoying surface the scale of an ice hockey rink with ice hockey aim cages and six players on every team (or five within the case of the USA Rink Bandy League).

There have been worldwide competitions for rink bandy performed by the best bandy gamers in the 1980s and 1990s, both for membership groups and for national teams, there were world championships in rink bandy in these days and the Hofors World Cup for clubs was played annually from 1984 to 1998. When extra indoor bandy rinks have been built, rink bandy has more turn into a sport for decrease league teams a d recreational play.

Rink bandy was played in the 2012 European Company Sports Games program.[52]

Some member nations of the Federation of International Bandy, which is the worldwide governing body for rink bandy as well as bandy, do not have regulation sized bandy surfaces which are bigger than the more widespread ice hockey ice rink and due to this fact only play rink bandy at residence; this contains a lot of the World Championships Group B participants.

Rinkball[edit]

Rink bandy has in turn led to the creation of the sport of rinkball. The sport of rinkball has at instances been referred to as a variant of bandy, nevertheless it organized by the 1980s and has since turn out to be an established organized sport with its own governing body and differs considerably from each bandy and ice hockey, the sport's two major influences.

Floorball[edit]

Bandy can be the predecessor of floorball, which was invented when individuals began taking part in with plastic bandy shaped sticks and lightweight balls when running on the floors of indoor gym halls.

Landbandy[edit]

In Sweden, informal video games performed like bandy however on ice-free ground (often on gravel or asphalt concrete) are known as landbandy (see landbandy on the Swedish language Wikipedia).

No roller or parasport variants exist[edit]

There isn't a formal roller sport companion to bandy involving either inline skates or parallel wheel roller skates, even when rink hockey can be thought-about to have some similarities with bandy. There can also be no formally organized skateless ice variant of bandy, and bandy does not have any parasport variant.

Countries[edit]

China[edit]

The China Bandy Federation was arrange in 2014. Since them, China has since participated in plenty of world championship tournaments, with men's, girls's and youth teams. China Bandy is mainly financed by personal assets. The development of the sport in China is supported by the Harbin Sport University.

Czechia[edit]

A group from Prague became Austrian national bandy champions in 1911.[53] Czechia has been taking part in on this planet Championship since 2016. As a way of preparing as well as doable for international matches, they've invented modified rules for games on ice hockey rinks, a selection called quick bandy.[54] Their (former rink bandy) league now is named Liga českého národního bandy.

Estonia[edit]

Bandy as an organized sport was performed in Estonia in the 1910s to thirties and the country had a nationwide championship for some years. The nationwide group performed friendlies in opposition to Finland within the 1920s and thirties. The sport was performed sporadically in the course of the Soviet occupation 1944-1991. It has since then turn out to be more organised again, partly by way of change with Finnish clubs and lovers. As of 2018, Estonia takes part in both the Bandy World Championship for males, and the Women's Bandy World Championship.

Finland[edit]

Bandy as an organized sport was introduced to Finland from Russia in the 1890s. Finland has been taking part in bandy friendlies in opposition to Sweden and Estonia since its independence in 1917.

The first men's Finnish national championships have been held in 1908 and was the primary nationwide Finnish championship held in any workforce sport. National champions have been named yearly except for 3 years in the first half of the twentieth century when Finland was at battle. The highest national league known as Bandyliiga and is semi-skilled. One of the best players turn fully skilled by being recruited by clubs in Sweden or Russia.[55] As of the 2020-21 season, Bandyliiga consisted of the next teams: Akilles, Botnia-69, HIFK, JPS, Kampparit, Narukerä, OLS, Veiterä and WP 35.

Finland was an original member of the Federation of International Bandy and is the only country moreover Russia/Soviet Union and Sweden to have won a Bandy World Championship, which it did in 2004.

The Federation of International Bandy (FIB) is planning for a major premiere for indoor bandy in Finland in 2023 with the venue going down at an indoor area in Lappeenranta. When the area is ready, a world inauguration is to take place with a 4-nation bandy tournament. Participants will embrace teams from Russia, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The tournament is scheduled for 20-22 January 2023.[56]

Germany[edit]

Bandy was played in Germany in the early 20th century, together with by Crown Prince Wilhelm,[57] however the interest died out in favour of ice hockey. The Leipziger Sportclub, which arguably had the perfect crew, was also the final membership to present bandy up. The sport was reintroduced to Germany in the 2010s, with the German Bandy Federation being based in 2013.[58] Germany has been collaborating within the Bandy World Championship, a contest for male rivals, since 2014.

Kazakhstan[edit]

Bandy has an extended history in lots of parts of Kazakhstan and it used to be certainly one of the most popular sports activities in Soviet occasions. However, after independence it suffered a fast decline in recognition and solely remained in Oral (typically called by the Russian title, "Uralsk"), where the country's only skilled membership Akzhaiyk is situated. They presently compete in the Russian second tier division, the Russian Bandy Supreme League.

Recently bandy has began to achieve recognition again exterior of Oral, most notably in Petropavl[59] and Khromtau. Those have been for example the three Kazakh cities which had gamers within the staff at the Youth-17, Youth Bandy World Championship for boys in 2016.[60] The capital Nur-Sultan has hosted national youth championships in rink bandy[61] as well as championships in conventional eleven-a-aspect bandy.[62]

In recent times the previous capital Almaty has hosted both the Asian Winter Games (with bandy on the program) as well because the Bandy World Championship for men by which Kazakhstan completed third. Plans are being made to reinvigorate the bandy section of the membership Dynamo Almaty, who received the Soviet Championships in 1977 and 1990 as well because the European Cup in 1978. Almaty is also the home of the headquarters of the Asian Bandy Federation. Since bandy started regaining reputation and acceptance, the state has begun supporting bandy. Medeu in Almaty is the only arena with artificial ice. A second area in Almaty was constructed for the World Championship 2012, however it was taken down afterwards. Stadion Yunost in Oral[63] was supposed to get artificial ice for the 2017-18 season.[64] It received delayed however in 2018 it was officially prepared to be used.[65]

Mongolia[edit]

The nationwide staff took a silver medal on the 2011 Asian Winter Games, which led to being chosen as one of the best Mongolian sport staff of 2011.[66] Mongolia was proud to win the bronze medal of the B division at the 2017 Bandy World Championship[67] after which the President of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, held a reception for the group.[68]

Netherlands[edit]

Bandy as an organized sport was launched to the Netherlands within the 1890s by Pim Mulier and the sport became popular. However, within the 1920s, the interest turned to ice hockey, but in distinction to different nations in central and western Europe, the sport has been constantly played in the Netherlands and for the reason that 1970s, the country has grow to be a member of FIB and video games have been more formalised once more.[69] The nationwide crew began to compete on the WCS in 1991. However, without a proper venue, solely rink bandy is played within the nation. The nationwide governing body is the Bandy Bond Nederland.[70]

Norway[edit]

Bandy as an organized sport was introduced to Norway in the 1910s. The Swedes contributed largely and clubs sprang up around the capital of Kristiania (present day Oslo). Oslo, including neighbouring towns, is within the 21st Century still the region the place bandy enjoys most reputation in Norway.

In 1912 the Norwegians played their first National Championship, which was performed annually up to 1940. During World War II, when Norway was occupied by Germany, illegal bandy was played in hidden places in forests, on ponds and lakes. In 1943, 1944 and 1945, illegal championships had been held. In 1946 legal play resumed and still goes on in form of the Norwegian Bandy Premier League (Eliteserien). After World War II the variety of groups rose, in addition to attendance which recurrently have been in the thousands, but mild winters within the 1970s and 1980s shrunk the league, and in 2003 only five clubs (teams) fought out the first division with low attendance numbers and little media coverage. As of 2021 there are 10 teams within the Norwegian Bandy Premier League.

Norway's best result on the earth Championship is a second place in 1965.

Russia[edit]

In Russia bandy is called hockey with a ball or simply Russian hockey. A similar sport turned fashionable among the Russian nobility within the early 1700s, with the imperial court docket of Peter the nice playing a predecessor of fashionable bandy on Saint Petersburg's frozen Neva river.[citation needed] Russians initially played this recreation utilizing unusual footwear with sticks made out of juniper wooden, but it surely wasn't until later that ice skates were introduced. Bandy didn't change into common among the lots all through the Russian Empire until the second half of the 19th century. The predecessor of the present Russian Bandy Federation was founded in 1898. Bandy is taken into account a national sport in Russia[71] and is the only discipline to have official support of the Russian Orthodox Church.[72]

Traditionally the Russians used a longer skate blade than other nations, giving them the benefit of skating quicker. However, they would find it tougher to show rapidly. A bandy skate has an extended blade than an ice hockey skate, and the "Russian skate" is even longer.

Though bandy was nonetheless performed within the Soviet Union after the Russian revolution, they didn't partake in any international games for a lot of decades. While agreements had previously been made to play friendlies towards Sweden in the late 1940s, these plans had not come to fruition.[73] The bandy event on the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway where men's bandy featured as a demonstration sport, was played without any Soviet workforce. However, the Soviets reconsidered their position following this competition.

When the Federation of International Bandy was formed in 1955, with the Soviet Union as one of its founding members, the Russians largely adopted the international guidelines of the sport developed in England in the 19th century, with one notable exception. The opposite international locations adopted the border which until then had solely been utilized in Russia.

For the reason that 1950s, when the Soviet Union ended its isolation and started to take part in worldwide sports events, the Soviet Union and then Russia (as its successor nation in 1991) has consistently held a prime position within the sport of bandy, both as a founding nation of the International Federation in 1955, and fielding the most successful team within the Bandy World Championship, the premiere international competition for males, (when counting the previous Soviet Union staff and Russia together).

The men's Russian professional bandy league known as the Russian Bandy Super League. The Russian Bandy Supreme League is the second tier of males's Russian bandy, under the Russian Bandy Super League. In Sweden, the Elitserien (actually, the "Elite League") is the very best bandy league in the country for men, while Bandyallsvenskan is the second division. In Finland, the very best bandy league for men is the Bandyliiga. In the same vogue, Russia, together with Sweden, has emerged as one of the two dominant ladies's bandy nations internationally, repeatedly placing first or second on the premier international bandy competition for women, the Women's Bandy World Championship.

After the victory within the 2016 World Championship, the fourth in a row, President Vladimir Putin obtained 4 players of the national workforce, Head Coach and Vice-President of the Russian Bandy Federation Sergey Myaus, the Russian Bandy Federation as well as Federation of International Bandy President Boris Skrynnik within the Kremlin. He talked, among different things, about the need to offer extra assist to Russian bandy.[74] It was the primary time a head of state had accepted a meeting to talk about Russian bandy. Attending the assembly were additionally Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth policy Vitaly Mutko and presidential adviser Igor Levitin.[75] The month after, Igor Levitin held a observe-up meeting.[76]

Russian Championship[edit]

The males's Russian professional bandy league known as the Russian Bandy Super League. The Russian Bandy Supreme League is the second tier of men's Russian bandy, beneath the Russian Bandy Super League.

The Russian Bandy Super League is the highest tier of the Russian bandy league system. It's professional and played yearly. The winner in the final becomes Russian champion. It is considered a continuation of the Soviet Union championship, which was played yearly until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Russian Cup[edit]

The Russian Cup has been played annually (apart from just some years) since 1937, initially known as the Soviet Cup.

Sweden[edit]

Bandy as an organized sport was launched to Sweden in 1895. The Swedish royal family, noblemen and diplomats were among the first players. While the unique inspiration primarily got here from England, there additionally had been early exchanges with Germany and Russia. Bandy was taken up as one of many sports activities at the worldwide Nordic Games held in Sweden semi-yearly from 1901. Swedish championships for males have been played annually since 1907 and Sweden was the first country to have an annual bandy league.

Within the 1920s students played the game, then it unfold throughout the nation and grew to become a largely center-class sport. The video games may have attracted huge crowds of spectators. After Slottsbrons IF gained the Swedish championship in 1934 it grew to become popular amongst workers in lots of smaller industrial towns and villages. Where there was a bandy membership the native manufacturing facility company additionally normally sponsored the club to mutual profit as a profitable crew led to good PR for the corporate. Bandy remains the principle sport in many of those locations.

Bandy in Sweden is well-known for its "culture" where both taking part in bandy and being a spectator requires nice fortitude and dedication. A "bandy briefcase [sv]" is the traditional accessory for spectating and is usually fabricated from brown leather, nicely worn, and accommodates a warm drink in a thermos and/or a bottle of liquor.[77] Bandy is most frequently performed at outdoor arenas throughout winter time, so the need for spectators to carry flasks or thermoses of 'warming' liquid like glögg is a pure impact. With the sport shifting indoors in later many years and the arenas urging for non-alcoholic insurance policies for the audiences, this tradition has partly modified, although not with out opposition.

A notable tradition is "annandagsbandy", bandy games played on Saint Stephen's Day, which for a lot of Swedes is a vital Christmas season tradition and always attracts larger crowds than common. Games traditionally begin at 1:15 pm.[78]

Swedish Championship[edit]

In Sweden, the Elitserien (actually, the "Elite League") is the very best bandy league in the country for males, while Bandyallsvenskan is the second division. The Elite League is the top tier of Swedish bandy and is fully professional. At the top of the season, a play-off is made to make out the 2 teams playing the ultimate match for the Swedish Championship. The ultimate is performed yearly on the third Saturday of March. From 1991 to 2012, it was performed at Studenternas Idrottsplats in Uppsala, usually drawing crowds in excess of 20,000. One purpose the play-off match was set in Uppsala is due to IFK Uppsala's success originally of the 20th century. IFK Uppsala gained 11 titles in the Swedish Championships between 1907 and 1920, which made them the most successful bandy club in the complete country (now, nevertheless, the record is held by Västerås SK). A contributing factor was also the poor high quality of the ice at Söderstadion, the place the finals were held from 1967 to 1989.

In 2013 and 2014 the final was performed indoors in Friends Arena, the national stadium for football in Solna, Stockholm, with a retractable roof and a capability of 50 000. The first ultimate at Friends Arena in 2013 drew a report crowd of 38,474 when Hammarby IF Bandy, after ending up in second place in six finals throughout the 2000s, won their second title. Attributable to declining attendance from 2015 by means of 2017 Tele2 Arena in southern Stockholm was chosen as a brand new venue. However, the new indoor venue failed to draw a lot more than half of the whole capability. In May 2017 it was announced that the finals will once more be held at Studenternas IP in Uppsala from 2018 via no less than 2021.

Svenska Cupen (The Swedish Cup)[edit]

The Svenska Cupen (English: The Swedish Cup), Svenska Cupen i bandy, takes place solely in Sweden. It is a single-elimination tournament competitors in Swedish bandy and the second-most distinguished bandy competition which is open only to home Swedish teams, after the nationwide championship. Its inaugural year was 2005. The primary ladies's competitors was performed in 2019.[79]

Switzerland[edit]

Within the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Switzerland had change into a well-liked place for winter vacations and people went there from throughout Europe. Winter sports like skiing, sledding and bandy was played in Geneva and other towns.[80] Students from Oxford and Cambridge went to Switzerland to play each other - the predecessor of the recurring Ice Hockey Varsity Match was a bandy match played in St. Moritz in 1885. This recognition for Swiss venues of winter sport could have been a reason, the European Championship was held there in 1913.

Bandy has mainly been performed as a recreational sport in Switzerland in the 2000s and 2010s. A Swiss men's nationwide workforce was finally started up in 2017 and a Swiss ladies's nationwide staff made its international début in the 2018 Women's Bandy World Championship.

Ukraine[edit]

Bandy was performed in Ukraine when it was a part of the Soviet Union. After independence in 1991, it took some years earlier than organised bandy formed again, however Ukrainian champions have been named yearly since 2012.

United Kingdom[edit]

The primary recorded video games of what could also be thought of bandy on ice came about in the Fens throughout the good frost of 1813-1814, though it is probable that the sport had already been played there within the earlier century. Bury Fen Bandy Club[81][82] from Bluntisha