Men, why let the golf course own your sweet swings and chip shots? Time to find a new axe so your club head can kiss the ice instead of the grass... Bandy is a demonstration/cultural sport in the 2014 Olympics this year. The sport predates ice hockey, is actually a field sport modified so it can be played on ice (with skates added) is loaded with competing nations and is aiming to become a full medal sport in the next Winter Olympics; I'm gambling it will be. If you're thinking bandy is for dinosaurs, just wait till you see the size of the ice surface this game is played on; these puppies are T-Rex's and make hockey rinks look like amoebas. Your team needs 10-11 players on the ice at a time, not six (ice hockey, broomball and ringette are all rink sports and all use six). So if you're playing the full version (there is a rink version, hence "rink bandy") you'll need a small army with a lot of endurance. Currently ice hockey and curling are the only team sports in the Olympic program (if synchronized figure skating isn't there as well). But curling doesn't use sticks & goalnets and more people want to see team sports in the Olympics that DO... ...and Bandy DOES. Quebec has an excellent website about the sport: www.bandyquebec.com NOTE: Canada's National organization HAD a website but I can't find it anymore. I believe the national organization is currently in Winnepeg, Manitoba. UPDATE: Correction Canadian Men have FOUR not three BBIRRR - Sledge hockey which is ice hockey modified for play by athletes with physical "disabilities". There is probably women's sledge hockey as well, I'm looking into it... So it isn't B.B.I.R.R.R - It's B.B.B.I.I.R.R.R. BANDY ("Big Ice" bandy, regular bandy, "Russian Hockey", ice field bandy) BROOMBALL (Ice Rink version: Indoor & Outdoor version - Russian, Canadian, other?) BROOMBALL (Outdoor SNOW version, "White Turf Broomball" - Canadian other?) ICE HOCKEY (Regular, indoor & outdoor -ice rink) ICE HOCKEY (Sledge) ice rink, indoor, outdoor? RINK BANDY (Indoor & Outdoor Ice Rink) RINGETTE (Ice Rink: Indoor & Outdoor), no alternative winter versions RINKBALL (Ice Rink: Indoor & Outdoor) Called: kaukalopallo (in Finnish) RINKBALL LINK: http://hockeygods.com/hockeys/34-Rinkball Rinkball goalies, bandy and rink bandy goalies do not use sticks. However, unlike bandy, rinkball goalies use two trappers - both hands.

• published: 08 Jan 2014
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