Bandy
Charles Goodman Tebbutt of the Bury Fen Bandy Club published the first organized rules for bandy in 1882. This event marked a turning point from informal winter pastimes to a structured sport. The game developed as a winter activity on flooded meadows and shallow washes in the Fens of East Anglia during cold winters. Earlier traditions like fen skating dated back to medieval times, but the formalization happened much later. The mid-eighteenth-century Devonshire Dialogue collection lists Bandy as a game similar to golf where parties beat a ball opposite ways with a crooked stick. The earliest recorded modernization period traces back to 1813 when members began organizing play more seriously. An early maker of bandy sticks was the firm of Gray's in Cambridge. One such stick now held by the Museum of Cambridge has a length of rope twisted round the handle to rescue any player who might fall through the ice. The first international match took place in 1891 between Bury Fen and the Haarlemsche Hockey & Bandy Club from the Netherlands. That same year the National Bandy Association was established as a governing body for the sport in England. National federations were also founded in the 1890s in the Netherlands and Russia and in the following decade in Finland Sweden and Norway.
The playing surface called a bandy field measures about 105 meters by 68 meters which is roughly the size of a football pitch. This area is considerably larger than the ice rinks commonly used for ice hockey. Games are normally two 45 minute halves and there are 11 players per side. Players sticks are curved like large field hockey sticks and the bandy ball is roughly the size of a tennis ball with a cork core and hard plastic coating. Early balls were usually red but are now either orange or more commonly cerise. Before the 1920s no clear distinction existed between bandy and ice hockey. A cross between English and Russian rules eventually developed with the football-inspired English rules becoming dominant together with the Russian low-border along most of the two sidelines. This addition has maintained its presence since the 1950s. The game features an offside rule similar to that of soccer. Goalkeepers use gloves made specifically for their position and wear them on both hands but do not use any type of stick. Physical contact between opponents is limited though shouldering is allowed in checking situations. Body checking and fighting remain illegal throughout play. Elite players have a mean skating velocity of over 30 kilometers per hour and the skating velocity can reach 40 kilometers per hour in some cases.
The Federation of International Bandy formed as the International Bandy Federation in February 1955 after a compromise between Russian and English rules. More of the English rules prevailed during this unification process. The federation has had 33 members at most each representing a country where bandy is played. Currently there are 27 members of the federation. The name changed to the present one in 2001 after the International Olympic Committee approved it as a recognized sport. In 2004 FIB was fully accepted by IOC. Bandy was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee under the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations in 2004. It was played as a demonstration sport at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo Norway. This remains the only time bandy has been played at Olympic Games. According to the FIB bandy is the world's second-most participated winter sport after ice hockey based on the number of participating athletes. The organization also recorded bandy men's as having ranked as the number two winter sport in terms of tickets sold per day of competitions at the sport's world championship.
Sweden and Russia have long been the strongest nations in both men's and women's international competitions. Both countries have established professional men's bandy leagues. In Russia it is estimated that more than one million people play bandy. Finland won the 2004 World Championship in Västerås Sweden while all other championships have been won by Sweden the Soviet Union and Russia. The Soviet Union won all championships until 1981 when Sweden managed to break the streak of eleven straight gold medals. Sweden won again in the next tournament in 1983 but Soviet again seized the victory in 1985. The Soviet Union also won at its last two appearances and then Sweden won in 1993 1995 and 1997. Russia having taken over after the Soviet Union and Sweden have kept on winning all championships between them except for 2004 when Finland managed to claim the win. The first World Championship for women took place in February 2004 in Lappeenranta Finland. Sweden won the championship without conceding a goal. In the 2014 women's World Championship Russia won for the first time defeating Sweden making it the first time Sweden did not win the world title.
In 1952 the Winter Olympic Games were arranged in Oslo Norway and the Norwegians presented bandy as a demonstration sport. The tournament was played by three countries: Norway Finland and Sweden. This is the only time bandy has been played at Olympic Games. Bandy was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee under the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations in 2004. FIB president Boris Skrynnik lobbied for bandy to be included in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi given Russia's prominence in the sport. Members of the Chinese Olympic Committee were present at the 2017 world championships to meet with Skrynnik about the possibility of considering the sport for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. However in 2018 it was announced no new sports would be added for 2022. The Olympic Charter requires a sport to be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on three continents in order to be accepted. Compared with the seven Winter Olympic sports bandy's popularity among other winter sports across the globe is considered by the International Olympic Committee to have a gap between popularity and participation and global audiences.
Rink bandy is a variant played on an ice hockey-size rink originally conceived as a way of practicing bandy in summertime when there were no bandy sized indoor rinks but ice hockey rinks had started to be built indoors. It is played by basically the same rules as regular bandy but on a playing surface the size of an ice hockey rink with ice hockey goal cages and six players on each team. There have been international competitions for rink bandy played by the best bandy players in the 1980s and 1990s including world championships in rink bandy during those days. When more indoor bandy rinks have been built rink bandy has become more a sport for lower league teams and recreational play. In Czechia the national federation developed its own version called short bandy which differs from rink bandy and helps players transition to full-sized rinks. Seven-a-side bandy was popular in central Europe and in England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries while eleven-a-side bandy was preferred in the Nordic countries and in Russia. The highest altitude where bandy has been played is in Khorugh the capital of the Tajik autonomous province of Gorno-Badakhshan situated above sea level in the Pamir Mountains.
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Common questions
When were the first organized rules for Bandy published?
Charles Goodman Tebbutt of the Bury Fen Bandy Club published the first organized rules for bandy in 1882. This event marked a turning point from informal winter pastimes to a structured sport.
What is the size of a standard Bandy field compared to other sports?
The playing surface called a bandy field measures about 105 meters by 68 meters which is roughly the size of a football pitch. This area is considerably larger than the ice rinks commonly used for ice hockey.
Which countries have won the most World Championships in men's Bandy?
Sweden and Russia have long been the strongest nations in both men's and women's international competitions. All championships have been won by Sweden, the Soviet Union, and Russia except for 2004 when Finland managed to claim the win.
Has Bandy ever been played at the Winter Olympics?
Bandy was played as a demonstration sport at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo Norway. This remains the only time bandy has been played at Olympic Games.
How many players are on each side during a regular Bandy match?
Games are normally two 45 minute halves and there are 11 players per side. Players sticks are curved like large field hockey sticks and the bandy ball is roughly the size of a tennis ball with a cork core and hard plastic coating.