Bandy team of Belarus. Belarusian bandy: “soap bubble”? Schools and stadiums
The Belarusian national team will not compete at the Bandy World Championship. It's all about the underdevelopment of this sport and the complete lack of material resources.
Sovetskaya Belorussia writes about the problems of the development of bandy in Belarus.
“At the Bandy (Bandy) World Championships, which will be held in Moscow at the end of January, instead of the Belarusian team, the US national team will perform in Group A.” This news, which would have been a real bomb in relation to any other sport (and especially “classical” hockey), went almost unnoticed. And many of those who are aware of the matter even thought that this had been going on for a long time.
In recent years, there have been only two real intrigues at the World Bandy Championships. Who - Russia or Sweden? - will become a champion and how the match for the right to retain a place in group “A” will end, no less traditional in terms of the composition of the participants. The contender invariably became the US team, the candidate for relegation was the Belarusian team, to which their neighbors in the elite pool regularly “shipped” 10 - 20 goals per match. At the same time, in America “Russian hockey” is making attempts to develop, there is a championship there, a full-fledged national team... Which, alas, cannot be said about our country.
There is no full-size bandy venue, as well as a national championship, in Belarus. The national team is also a phenomenon in itself. Usually it was formed a couple of weeks before the world championship, when athletes (mostly former puck players) gathered on the basis of one of the Russian clubs and under the leadership of the Russian coach Nikolai Solovyov (he was later replaced as the best scorer of the team - Sergei Chernetsky from Krasnoyarsk " Yenisei"), with the support of several legionnaires from Russia, provided the necessary score in the only (play-off) match against the US team. After which came assurances that now everything will definitely change, Belarus will have its own team and at the next championship...
And now the “idyll”, it seems, may end. Moreover, if you believe the official statement of the Secretary General of the Federation of International Bandy Boo Newman, the end was put... by the Belarusians themselves, who “confirmed their participation in the World Championship too late.” There may be several reasons for this. Firstly, it is worth mentioning the organizers of the championship. Back in August, its participants received messages that in 2010 the world forum of bendists... would not take place. The decision of the Moscow mayor Luzhkov to throw a lifeline to the hockey players and hold the tournament in Moscow became known only in mid-October... However, some of those close to the behind-the-scenes bandy hastened to discover an American trace in this story. They say that the “stars and stripes” are tired of wasting money in the development of this sport, losing to the “farm club” of the Russian team, and they asked the international federation to withhold the application of the Belarusians...
“I’m sure that this whole story with an overdue application is not worth a damn,” the chairman of the Belarusian Federation, Viktor Plyats, managed to catch at the Moscow airport: he was flying to the executive committee of the Federation of International Bandy in Finland. - The fact is that the international federation is now led not by its official president Boris Skrinnik, but by the Swedes and Americans. And they have had a grudge against us for a long time.
The new leadership of the federation was elected recently - at the beginning of the year. After digging through the archives, Secretary General Boo Newman discovered that since 2003, Belarus... has never paid a membership fee. Almost 12 thousand dollars. The result of this “revision” was the decision to deport the team to the lower division.
“At one time, the former FIB Chairman Albert Pomortsev needed to increase the number of FIB members (in order to include the sport in the Olympic program),” Plyats explains the “shortage.” - At his invitation, we created a federation, recruited a team and began participating in championships. As support, he waived our fees. Skrinnik was “promoted” by the Swedes, and they have their own view of this situation. They lobby for the interests of the American team.
The Swedes' position is also easy to explain. The vice-president of the US Bandy Association is Swede Magnus Sköld. And after 4 years of unsuccessful attempts to win a play-off match at the World Championships, he grabbed the opportunity to solve the problem behind the scenes like a bulldog. By the way, it was the Swedish Bandy Federation that was the first, in fact, even before the final decision was made, to spread the news about the exclusion of Belarusians.
- Will we be able to solve this problem? The probability is 50 to 50,” says Viktor Mikhailovich. - But for us, any outcome is not fatal. The Ministry of Sports still did not support our sport. Over the course of 3 years, I organized three gatherings. No uniform, no equipment, not to mention the site... And thanks to this demarche, FIB actually started a civil war. At one time, we brought three countries into the international federation - Ukraine, Latvia and Lithuania. Now the federation, which almost disrupted the World Cup, will be divided into two camps, which will also not add to its Olympic chances.
The most interesting thing in this whole story is that the current World Cup could very well take place... in Belarus! Literally two years ago - in September 2007 - at the NOC, during a meeting of the leaders of the Belarusian Bandy Federation with Boris Skrinnik, such a possibility was considered quite seriously and, moreover, the Belarusians were even promised support. In turn, the host party assured that at least one field suitable for hosting an international tournament - in the center of the Minsk Arena speed skating oval - would be in the country by that time. The day before, ice was poured on the oval. But whether bendy will appear on it now is a big question.
One of these days, a significant event is due to take place in the life of bandy hockey in Belarus: perhaps in the near future the bandy federation in the republic will cease to exist. The President of the Bandy Federation of the Republic, Viktor Plyats, intends to join the organization to the country’s Hockey Association. What does this mean for bandy? Will it live and develop further in the former Soviet republic? Viktor Plyats told a correspondent of the newspaper “Nasha Sibskana” about this.
This year the Belarusian team did not take part in the World Championship. Probably, this news is unlikely to make anyone very happy: the main international tournament has lost a permanent participant, and other teams have lost a strong rival, and there are few of them in the world. The only people who could rejoice were the representatives and fans of the US team, the permanent leader of Group B in recent years, which, despite all efforts, could not beat our neighbors from Sineokaya in transition matches. Due to the non-participation of Belarus, the US team had a fortunate opportunity to beat their opponent without meeting him in person.
And it became nonsense: the US team was in group A not on sporting grounds,” said Viktor Plyats. - In all the years they have never been able to beat us. Neither the Ministry of Sports of the Republic, nor our National Olympic Committee understood: what really happened?
Well, let's try to understand. Moreover, the general public
Very little is known about bandy in Belarus. Basically, the fairly strong level of its national team is supported mainly by foreign players from Russia, and due to the lack of children's schools, the growth of its players is not yet expected.
"Credit history
If we compare hockey with a ball and with a puck, then in Belarus the second type is rated immeasurably higher,” continued Viktor Plyats. - And not least because the head of state himself cares very much about this sport. And if puck is the number one sport, then bandy is somewhere around number forty-seven, probably. This is such a paradox, although our team is the sixth in the world. I call it sixth, because while we played in the world championships, we did not place lower than sixth. We didn't play this year, but not because we didn't want to. But because we were put in such a framework. Having refused to participate in the strongest group, they offered us an option to play in Group B. But we refused, and the country’s sports leadership, as well as the National Olympic Committee, supported us in this.
Under what conditions was Belarus offered to play in Group B? Have you agreed to “forgive” the fee again? President of the International Bandy Federation Boris Skrynnik responded: no one offered Belarus to play in Group B for nothing, as a consolation prize.
Yes, the contribution amounts in group B are smaller,” Boris Skrynnik assured. - But here, first of all, the sports principle is important. If you did not have time to pay the fee and “flew out” of group A, then you must first pay off all debts, and then start from the very beginning, with group B. This option was proposed to Belarus.
Other participants, according to Boris Ivanovich, have no arrears in contributions. How did Belarus accumulate it? When, back in 2003, the national team of this country was invited to play in the World Championship, by agreement with the former head of the FIB, Albert Pomortsev, the Belarusian team was exempt from paying the fee. It was $1,500 and has not changed since then. No, of course, no one has officially declared participation in the World Championship free of charge. But at that time there were so few teams playing that, in order to popularize bandy, they decided to postpone the payment of fees for... some indefinite period.
Certainty came last year, when Boris Skrynnik began to restore order in the hockey business entrusted to him. Considering that these contributions were, as it were, forgiven for all seven years of the Belarusian national team’s participation, a considerable amount has accumulated. At least for the federation of the republic, whose available funds have been distributed for a long time, and there are no free ones in sight. And the federation itself should not seek these funds: in Belarus there is an agreement between it and the sports federations, according to which the Ministry of Sports pays fees for participation in international tournaments, which, of course, includes the World Championship.
However, it cannot be said that the news of the need to repay all debts came as a surprise. As Victor Plyats told us, back in September 2009, Boris Skrynnik personally informed him. But even in the remaining time, the ministry was unable to find funds, since all of them were used to prepare for the Olympics. And in December 2009, it was announced that the Belarusian national team would not take part in the World Championship.
Schools and stadiums
Among the arguments against, they talked about the lack of conditions in Belarus for the development of bandy. In particular, children's schools and the domestic championship. But just last year changes for the better appeared in Belarus.
We involved the trade unions,” said Viktor Mikhailovich, “we convinced people that bandy needed to be developed. And the trade unions allocated rates for children's coaches, thanks to him, youth hockey sports schools were created in three cities: two in Orsha, and one each in Novopolotsk and Minsk. Each school managed to recruit groups with an average of 20 students. As for the domestic championship, it has already been held three times: in the winter of 2005, 2006 and 2008, and at the beginning of the year - immediately after the end of the world championships. In the same year, non-participation in the World Championship greatly undermined those who needed bandy in the republic. We gave up and didn’t hold the national championship.
Regarding the base, we also have nothing to complain about: only in Minsk there are two skating rinks with artificial ice, one outdoor, the other indoor, Minsk Arena. This is generally a unique sports facility, there was nothing like it in the USSR, there is nothing like it in the world now. It includes three sites: a cycling track, an ice hockey court and a bandy field, plus a running track. The dimensions of the ice field are 120x70 meters; if necessary, the sides can be easily removed from the puck rink and the field can be transformed into a bandy skating rink.
- Viktor Mikhailovich, on whose initiative was it decided to adapt this arena for bandy?
This was done by order of the head of state. Your humble servant, I note, made a lot of effort for this. But now bandy is in a very difficult situation. And the other day we sit down at the negotiating table with the chairman of the hockey federation, Evgeny Vorsin. The organization that unites hockey in Belarus is called the Hockey Association, following the example of the football association, which includes futsal, beach, women's, and so on. There is an option: join this association. If the negotiations do not have a positive outcome, then there can be no talk of any development of bandy.
As for repaying the debt to the FIB, I think that this year we will resolve this issue, since it turned out to be so fundamental. And if the Americans really wanted to get into Group A, and the FIB decided that they deserved it, then they could expand it to 8 teams and let the USA and Canada there. The other members of Group A wouldn't mind. I spoke with the leaders of bandy federations from Ukraine, Latvia, the USA, and Canada. And everyone agreed that the exclusion of Belarus from Group A was not beneficial, and that the composition of Group A could be expanded to 8 teams.
However, Boris Skrynnik was more than skeptical about the possibility of expanding Group A:
These are all theories.
Will Belarus be able to play at the next World Cup in Kazan, and under what conditions? Will the presence of internal infrastructure, such as the presence of schools and a championship, make a difference?
No, this is an internal matter of each country. But there is another point. The FIB allocated about $18,000 to the Federation of Belarus for development. So far I have not seen any reporting on how they were consumed. To take part in the next World Championship, representatives of Belarus need, firstly, to pay all outstanding contributions, and secondly, to provide reporting on the funds spent. Then they will be able to apply to group B on general terms and start from the very beginning.
Regarding this report, Victor Plyats said the following: the amounts received were spent mainly on equipment and uniforms for the players, and a report on this was compiled and brought to the FIB Congress. However, FIB General Secretary Beau Newman and Vice President Magnus Skold did not consider it, explaining that the debt must first be paid off. Apparently, in the absence of this circumstance, the report simply did not reach the leadership in the person of Skrynnik.
So if bandy in Belarus does not die, then hockey players have a chance to regain their place in the group of the strongest. Since they managed to defend their place in Group A without much difficulty, they will be able to take it again with the same confidence, squeezing out the “lucky” ones from the US team. I wonder if the composition of Group A will be expanded in this case?
At the World Championships held in Sweden, the Belarusian bandy team retained its place in the elite division. Having lost all the matches in the main tournament (and most of them with a crushing score) in the transition match for the right to play in the strongest division next year, the Belarusians beat the US team - 3:1.
For many years now, nothing has changed in one of the most mysterious sports in Belarus. Bandy (aka bandy, aka Russian hockey) is remembered in our country only in January - when the next world championship takes place. The fact is that bandy does not exist in Belarus. In the literal sense of the word. There is a Belarusian Bandy Federation. There is its chairman. And... that's it. There is not a single stadium for Russian hockey in Belarus. And even if there was, there would be no one to play on it: there is not a single team in our country. Neither professional nor amateur. In fact, there is not a single Russian hockey player in the country!
Who defends the colors of Belarus at the World Championships? Yes, all the same regular ice hockey players, diluted with “naturalized” Russians. However, “naturalized” is a strong word, since these Russians visit Belarus no more often than the World Championships are held. Or even less often. It is they, the players who are not included in the main Russian national team, who are the main striking force of the Belarusian national team. By the way, before the start of the current World Championship, the American Bandy Association expressed a protest about Evgeniy Khvalko’s participation in the World Championship as part of the Belarusian national team, since he had previously played several matches for the Russian national team. However, in the end, E. Khvalko was allowed to play at the World Cup - the Russians did not express any complaints. As a result, in the match with the Russians (which ended, remember, with a score of 2:14), it was Evgeniy Khvalko who scored both “Belarusian” goals. At the gates of the Russian team stood... Kirill Khvalko, the Russian brother of Khvalko the Belarusian.
The “successes” of the “Belarusian bandy” are stable: sixth (last) place in the main tournament, a heroic victory in the transition match for the right to remain in the elite and a lot of words that everything is “about” to change, to get off the ground, in Belarus your own team will appear, etc. and so on. But... the soap opera continues.
There is no progress in the achievements of the Belarusians - our team is very far behind the leaders in class - Russia, Sweden, Finland. We are not even close to Kazakhstan. For years we have been trying to fight Norway, but to no avail. Of course, it’s nice to beat the Americans in hockey (even with a ball). What's the point? Present Belarusians on the international stage as a sports nation? It is highly doubtful that defeats of 2:14 from the Russians, 1:12 from the Finns or 3:13 from the Swedes greatly increased the rating of Belarusian bandy in particular and Belarusian sports in general. Propaganda of sports and popularization of bandy in our country? For all the years of participation of the Belarusian national team in the world championships, few Belarusians suspect the existence of such a team, and only a few are interested in the results of its performance. However, according to the plans of the International Bandy Federation, the 2012 World Championships should be held in Belarus. I wonder where exactly? And how many spectators will there be in the stands?
In some ways, the “Belarusian Bandy” project resembles a soap bubble that can burst at any moment. And almost no one will notice this. Only at the World Championship there will be one less extra, and the International Bandy Federation will become sad - not because it will feel sorry for the “original” Belarusian team. It’s just that the Bendists have been fighting for many years to have this sport included in the program of the Winter Olympic Games. And for this you need a certain number of countries (25) cultivating this sport. So mysterious “extras” like Belarus and very strange “phantoms” like the bandy federations of Argentina, Australia and India appeared.
And in the final of the World Cup, which ended on January 25, Russia and Sweden traditionally met. This time the Swedes were stronger - 6:1. In total, only three countries have become world champions in the entire history of the World Championships. Russia (formerly the USSR) became world champion 19 times, Sweden - 9, and once the Finnish team won gold.
The Belarusian team lost heavily to the US team in the final match of the group stage of the Bandy World Championship in Sandviken, Sweden.
Belarus - USA - 5:14 (3:7)
In the first half, the Belarusian hockey players took the lead twice after goals from Sergei Yusupov (1:0) and Yuri Zenkov (2:1).
In the 17th minute, the Americans took the lead for the first time (3:2) and since then have not lost their advantage, eventually bringing their advantage to 9 goals.
As part of the Belarusian national team, Sergei Yusupov scored 2 goals, Yuri Zenkov, Georgy Kudrin and Vyacheslav Bratchenko scored 1 accurate shot each. The best sniper for the USA was Kevin Brown, who scored 5 goals against the Belarusian goal.
Kevin Brown and Georgy Kudrin. Photo: instagram.com/bandy2017_official/
In another Group 2 match, the Norwegian team defeated elite division debutant Germany - 17:3.
Thus, following the results of the group stage, Belarus took 3rd place in its quartet.
Final position in group 2:
1. Norway - 6 points (3 matches; goals 35−7)
2. USA - 4 (3; 26−17)
3. Belarus - 1 (3; 13−31)
4. Germany - 1 (3; 14−33).
In the head-to-head match, the Belarusians played a draw with the Germans (7:7), but the Belarusians beat their opponent in the penalty shootout and were ahead of them in the standings.
Final position in group 1:
1. Sweden - 6 points (3 matches; goals 26−12)
2. Russia - 4 (3; 21−14)
3. Finland - 2 (3; 9−17)
4. Kazakhstan - 0 (3; 9−22).
After the completion of the group stage matches, the quarterfinal pairs were determined. The Belarusian team's opponents will be the Russians.
Kazakhstan - Norway (12.00 Minsk time)
Finland - USA (15.00)
Sweden - Germany (18.00)
Russia - Belarus (21.00).
Semifinals and meetings for 5th-7th places are scheduled for February 4th. The fights for gold and bronze will take place on February 5.