2023-11-24 12:56:08
The fate of bandy can be repeated by other disciplines.
Abroad they have different attitudes towards sanctions against Russian sports. Some consider them justified and inevitable, others are sure that athletes suffer through no fault of their own. But everyone agrees on one thing: what is happening is affecting both our athletes and the entire world of sports.
Therefore, only repulsed Russophobes can rejoice at Russia’s absence from international competitions. And the situation in bandy clearly illustrates this. What was once one of the coolest and most popular non-Olympic sports is effectively dead.
The best were suspended
Bandy can hardly be called a widespread sport on a planetary scale. The International Federation of Bandy (FIB) includes only 27 countries, and the real strength is represented by two and a half teams. In the entire history, only three teams managed to win the World Championships: Russia (26 victories), Sweden (13) and Finland (1).
But even total dependence on Russia did not prevent the international federation from suspending our hockey players in 2022. At the same time, the World Cup, which was supposed to take place in our country and was postponed twice due to coronavirus, was canceled. As a result, after a four-year pause, the competition was still held in Sweden. However, interest in the tournament turned out to be worse than the worst forecasts. Suffice it to say that only 25 people came to the group stage match between Finland and Kazakhstan.
The Russian Bandy Federation not only ensured that domestic competitions were held at a high level and constantly kept the national team competitive, but also made great efforts to expand the geography of bandy and improve the prospects for its inclusion in the Olympic program. And now it has become clear that almost the entire world bandy rested on these efforts.
Empty stands at the 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship / Photo: © Jonas Ljungdahl / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press
“There will be no World Cup”
Problems made themselves felt almost instantly. There were already few people willing to host the World Championships, and after Russia’s removal there were none left at all. Of the 10 previous championships on the planet, five were held in Russia, four in Sweden, and one in Kazakhstan. The 2024 tournament was going to be held in Norway, where interest in bandy is a priori low. Surely this decision was facilitated by the Norwegian Stein Pedersen, who has headed the International Bandy Federation since 2022.
But in mid-November it became clear that it was much easier to remove Russia from competitions than to fulfill its obligations. A message appeared on the official website of the Norwegian Bandy Federation that the men’s and women’s world championships have been cancelled.
— The Norwegian Bandy Federation today regrets to announce that the 2024 Bandy World Championship will not be held for either women or men. We sympathize with our players who are missing the long-awaited World Cup,” the federation said in a statement.
At the same time, the federation suggested contacting Mr. Pedersen for clarification. FIB representatives also confirmed this information, noting that all the organization’s forces will focus on the 2025 tournaments.
The cancellation of the tournament came as a complete surprise to the Swedes. Men’s team captain Mattias Sjöholm was unable to give any clear answer to questions from Bandypuls.
“I didn’t know this, so I can’t comment.” Let’s come back to this later, maybe I’ll find out more,” the player said.
At the same time, rumors about a possible cancellation have been circulating for a long time. Back in October, the chairman of the Swedish national team committee, Hans Elis Johansson, admitted that it would be very difficult to hold tournaments without Russia.
— It is very likely that there will be no World Cup. It’s not easy to organize a tournament without Russia,” Johansson told Bandypuls in mid-October.
The stubbornness of officials may soon put an end to the entire sport. The cancellation of the World Championship is a virtual recognition of the incompetence of the leadership of the international federation. And it’s unlikely that even the most brilliant functionary will be able to save the sport without the return of Russia.
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