Bandy World Championship facts for kids
| Sport | Bandy |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1957 |
| No. of teams | 11 (2023) |
| Countries | Worldwide |
| Most recent champion(s) |
 Sweden(13th title) |
| Most titles |  Soviet Union(14 titles) |
| Official website | worldbandy.com |
The Bandy World Championship is a big competition for men's national teams in the sport of bandy. The Federation of International Bandy (FIB) runs this tournament. It's different from the Bandy World Cup, which is for club teams, and the Women's Bandy World Championship. There are also world championships for younger players, both boys and girls.
The 2020 Bandy World Championship for the top teams was supposed to be in Irkutsk, Russia. But it was put off twice because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 championship was also planned for Syktyvkar, Russia. It was also postponed due to the pandemic. Later, it was rescheduled for March and April 2022. However, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden decided not to play. This led to the tournament being put off again, with no new date set.
Contents
History of the Bandy World Championship
Bandy has been played since the 1800s. But the first men's world championship didn't happen until 1957. The first women's championship was much later, in 2004.
Before the official championships, countries like Finland, Sweden, and Norway often played friendly games. In 1935, a film even showed women's bandy players from Finland and Sweden playing in Helsinki. People sometimes thought it was ice hockey, but it was bandy!
In 1952, a bandy tournament for men was held at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. It was a "demonstration sport," meaning it was shown to people but didn't count as an official Olympic event. Then, in 1954, a four-nation tournament took place in Moscow. This was the first time the Soviet Union played against other countries. It was also the first time new, agreed-upon rules were used. But this wasn't called a world championship either.
The international bandy federation was started in 1955. It was founded by the four countries that played in Moscow. These were the Soviet Union, Sweden, Finland, and Norway.
The very first men's Bandy World Championship was held in 1957. It was part of the 50th anniversary of Finland's Ball Association, which managed bandy in Finland back then. The games were played at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
From 1961 to 2003, the men's championships happened every two years. But since 2004, they have been held every year.
Who Plays in the Championship?
For a long time, only four countries competed: the Soviet Union, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. The Soviet Union was the strongest team. In recent years, more countries have joined. The United States joined in 1985. The sport has also grown in other parts of Europe, North America, and Asia. When the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, new national teams from those areas could join. Somalia was the first team from Africa to play, in 2014. In 2019, a record 20 countries took part!
Some countries like Switzerland and Great Britain joined for the first time in 2019. Other countries like India and Lithuania have wanted to join but haven't yet.
As more nations started playing, the championship was split into different groups. Group B was created in 1991. In 2012, there was even a Group C for a short time. The best teams play in Group A. Teams can move between groups based on how well they play. For example, the winner of Group B often moves up to Group A for the next year. The team that finishes last in Group A goes down to Group B.
Some of the top teams that usually play in Group A are Russia, Finland, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Norway, USA, and Belarus.
How the Competition Works
At first, all the teams played against each other in a "round-robin" style. This means every team played every other team once. Then, the team with the best record won.
Starting in 1983, they added semifinals and a final game after the round-robin stage. This made the tournament more exciting, with knockout matches to decide the winner.
When more countries started to play, the championship was divided into two groups: Group A and Group B. Group A has the stronger teams. For some years, the winner of Group B would play a special game against the last-place team in Group A. The winner of that game would get to play in Group A the next year. But now, the Group B winner automatically moves up to Group A, and the last-place team in Group A automatically moves down to Group B.
Watching the Games
Bandy is most popular in Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Sometimes, games are shown on sports channels like Eurosport 2. You can also watch many of the games online through live streaming.
Championship Winners (Medal Table)
Here's a look at which countries have won the most medals over the years. Countries in italics no longer compete in the World Championships.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union |
14 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| 2 | Sweden |
13 | 19 | 8 | 40 |
| 3 |  Russia |
12 | 9 | 1 | 22 |
| 4 |  Finland |
1 | 9 | 22 | 32 |
| 5 |  Norway |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 |  Kazakhstan |
0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Totals (6 entries) | 40 | 40 | 40 | 120 | |
Teams with Many Wins in a Row
The Soviet Union holds the record for winning the most gold medals in a row, with 11 consecutive wins! Russia has won four gold medals in a row, and Sweden has won three in a row.
Final Game Locations (Since 1983)
Before 1983, the championship winner was decided by a round-robin format, so there wasn't one single "final game" location. Since 1983, there has been a specific venue for the championship final. Many different cities and arenas have hosted the exciting final match.
Some arenas have hosted the final more than once:
- Oulunkylä Ice Rink in Helsinki, Finland (1983, 1991)
- Trud Stadium in Arkhangelsk, Russia (1999, 2003)
- Rocklunda IP in Västerås, Sweden (1997, 2004)
- Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia (1989, 2008)
- Trudovye Rezervy Stadium in Kazan, Russia (2005, 2011)
- Arena Yerofey in Khabarovsk, Russia (2015, 2018)
- Arena Vänersborg in Vänersborg, Sweden (2013, 2019)
Other famous arenas that have hosted a final include Valle Hovin in Oslo, Norway (1985), Söderstadion in Stockholm, Sweden (1987), and Medeu in Almaty, Kazakhstan (2012). Many of these are indoor arenas, which means players can enjoy the game even when it's very cold outside!
Images for kids
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Medeu was the main arena for the 2012 championships. This picture shows the final of the 2011 Asian Winter Games held there.
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The reserve field of Almaty Central Stadium was the venue for Division B and C in 2012. Here is the Canadian team.
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Arena Vänersborg in Sweden was the main venue for the 2013 championship.
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Arena Yerofey hosted the final of the 2015 championship.
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Trud Stadium hosted the final of the 2016 championship.
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Kyrgyzstan and Japan were new teams in 2012. Here, the Kyrgyzstan team defends its goal against Japan.
