Federation of International Bandy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Federation of International Bandy

Formation	12 February 1955
Type	Sports federation
Headquarters	Simrishamn Municipality, Sweden
Membership	27 members
Official language	English, Swedish, Russian
President	Stein Pedersen
Website	worldbandy.com

World map showing the present members of FIB (green)

World map showing the 4 original members of FIB (green)

The Federation of International Bandy (FIB) is the main organization that runs the sport of bandy around the world. This includes a version called rink bandy, which is played on a smaller ice rink. The FIB helps set the rules, organize international competitions, and promote bandy globally. Its main office is in Simrishamn Municipality, Sweden.

History of Bandy and FIB

Bandy, as we know it today, has been played since the late 1800s. Rules for the game were first created in the 1890s in England and Russia.

In 1908, an organization called the Ligue International de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG) was formed in Paris, France. At that time, bandy and ice hockey were seen as similar games. However, ice hockey later became an Olympic sport, while bandy did not. Because of this, bandy mostly continued to be played in some Nordic countries and the Soviet Union. The LIHG is now known as the International Ice Hockey Federation.

In the 1940s, the Nordic countries of Finland, Norway, and Sweden worked together to create common rules for bandy. In the early 1950s, the Soviet Union also started to connect with these Nordic countries in sports.

Forming the Federation

The Federation of International Bandy was officially created on February 12, 1955. This happened at Hotell Malmen in Stockholm, Sweden. Representatives from Finland, Norway, the Soviet Union, and Sweden were the founding members. Since 1979, the FIB has been based in Sweden.

When the FIB was formed in 1955, it made sure that the same rules for bandy were used everywhere. Before this, different rules were sometimes used, especially in Russia and other parts of the Soviet Union.

The first Bandy World Championship for men was held in 1957. Later, the Women's Bandy World Championship started in 2004.

Name Change and Olympic Recognition

Between 1957 and 2001, the federation was called the International Bandy Federation (IBF). The name was changed to FIB because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asked for it. The IOC wanted to recognize bandy as a sport, but the name IBF was already used by the International Badminton Federation. In 2004, the IOC officially recognized FIB.

The FIB is a member of important sports groups like the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations and the Global Association of International Sports Federations.

Over the past few decades, more and more countries have started playing bandy. As of 2017, there were 27 national member countries in the federation.

Recent Challenges

Following recommendations from the International Olympic Committee, the Federation of International Bandy made some decisions due to the events in Ukraine in 2022. Russia was not allowed to participate in the 2022 Women's Bandy World Championship. Also, the men's 2020 Bandy World Championship, which had already been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, was finally canceled on March 1, 2022. This happened after Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the United States announced they would not compete in Russia.

Goals of the Federation of International Bandy

In 2011, the FIB clearly stated its main goals.

The FIB fully supports the rules and ideas of the Olympic Charter. This includes having strict anti-doping controls to ensure fair play.

The FIB wants to help bandy and rink bandy grow in all member countries. It also works to show how important and good these sports are. A big goal for the FIB is for bandy to become an Olympic sport.

The FIB sees itself as an "independent main sports organization" that guides bandy activities worldwide. It also leads and supervises bandy and rink bandy, and it sets the official rules for the games.

The FIB chooses one national member association to host an official world championship. The federation believes that at least four nations should take part for an event to be worthwhile.

Finally, the FIB also wants to encourage new nations to join the organization and start playing bandy.

Official Rules of Bandy

The rules for playing bandy are written down in a document called the Bandy Playing Rules. A special group within the FIB, called the Rules and Referee Committee, is in charge of these rules.

Working with Other Sports Organizations

The FIB has an agreement with the International Skating Union. This agreement allows both organizations to use the same ice arenas. They are working more closely together because both want to see more indoor venues with large ice surfaces built.

Leaders of the FIB

Here are the people who have served as presidents of the Federation of International Bandy:

Major Bandy Events

The FIB organizes many important bandy competitions around the world:

• Bandy World Championship
• Women's Bandy World Championship
• Youth Bandy World Championship (for girls and different age groups of boys)
• Bandy World Cup
• Bandy World Cup Women
• Bandy World Cup Girls Y17
• European Bandy Championships
• Bandy at the Asian Winter Games
• Bandy at the 2019 Winter Universiade

Member Countries of FIB

The Federation of International Bandy was founded by the national bandy associations of Finland, Norway, the Soviet Union, and Sweden on February 12, 1955.

After the Soviet Union broke apart in December 1991, Russia took over its membership in early 1992. For a couple of months, the former Soviet Union team played as the Commonwealth of Independent States, but this group was never an official FIB member.

Member associations are grouped into different geographical zones. As of March 25, 2022, there are 27 associations in 4 zones. Also, Italy was given temporary membership on September 26, 2023.

Current Members

Association	Founded	FIB affiliation	External link	National teams	Top division
Afghanistan		2012		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Armenia	1999	2008
Belarus		1999		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Canada		1983	[1]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
China		2010	[2]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Colombia		2017	[3]
Czech Republic		2014	[4]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Estonia		2002	[5]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Finland		1955	[6]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17	Bandyliiga (men) Naisten Bandyliiga (women)
Germany		2013	[7]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Great Britain		2010	[8]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Hungary		1989	[9]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
India		2002		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Japan		2011	[10]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Kazakhstan		1993	[11]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Latvia		2006	[12]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Lithuania		2008
Mongolia		2002		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Netherlands		1973	[13]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Norway	1920	1955	[14]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17	Premier League (men)
Russia	1898	1992	[15]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17	Super League (men)
Slovakia		2017	[16]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Somalia		2013	[17]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Sweden	1925	1955	[18]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17	Elitserien (men) Elitserien (women)
Switzerland		2006	[19]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Ukraine		2008	[20]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
United States		1981	[21]	Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17

Former Members

A world map showing all the member countries before some associations were removed from the FIB membership list.

Some national federations have joined the FIB over the years but later stopped being active. This often happens because there isn't enough interest in bandy in their countries. In early 2017, seven federations were removed from the FIB's member list, and one more in the summer of 2018.

• Soviet Union (1955–1991): The Soviet Union was one of the founding members of the FIB in 1955. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Russia took its place in the FIB in 1992.
• West Germany/Germany (1990–1991): Before the current German Bandy Association was formed in 2013, there was an earlier German federation. It was a FIB member from January 1990 until March 1991, when it chose to leave.

Here are some other national federations that are no longer members:

Association	Founded	FIB affiliation	FIB leave	National teams
Argentina		2008		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Australia		2006		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Denmark		2014		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Ireland		2006		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Italy		2003		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Kyrgyzstan		2005		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Poland		2006		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17
Serbia		2006		Men's U21 U19 U17 Women's W U21 W U17

Continental Bandy Federations

Some Asian countries that are part of the FIB have also created their own group called the Asian Bandy Association. This group is based in Astana, Kazakhstan. It helps organize bandy competitions at events like the Asian Winter Games and works to make bandy more popular in Asia.

Members of the Asian Bandy Association include:

•  China
•  Japan
•  Kazakhstan
•  Kyrgyzstan
•  Mongolia

See also

• Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations