Read the text. Say if the statement is true or false

1. Bandy originated from field hockey.

2. Bandy is also known as “Russian football”.

3. Russians are creators of the game.

4. The USA has contributed much to the development of bandy.

5. Bandy rules are similar in many ways to the rules of soccer.

6. Bandy is played by two teams of 10 players.

7. The players` equipment is of one colour with the ball.

8. The aim of the game is to hit the target.

9. The first Bandy World Championship took place in 1937.

10. Bandy World Championship has been held annually since 2004.

Bandy, also known as banty, originated as a form of field hockey on ice. The game similar to bandy was mentioned in Russian monastery records dating back to the 10^th – 11^th centuries. A game that could be recognized as modern bandy was played in Russia by the early 1700s. All the way through modern times, Russia has kept a top position in the Bandy area, being one of the founding nations of the International Federation, as well as the most successful team in the World Championships. Russians see themselves as the creators of the sport, which is reflected by the unofficial title for bandy, “Russian hockey”.

In the western world, Britain has played an important role in the development of bandy. A game similar to bandy was known in Wales as Bando.

Bandy is a team game played on ice, with sticks and a single round ball. Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal and score a goal. A game is officiated by a referee, the authority to enforce the rules, and whose decisions are final. The referee may be assisted by one or two assistant referees. The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football. The rules can be found on the official website of the Federation of International Bandy.

The size of the bandy field is 90 - 110 m long and 45 – 65 m wide. Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players, one of whom must be the goalkeeper. The basic equipment players are required to wear includes a pair of skates, a helmet, a mouth guard and, in the case of the goalkeeper, a face guard. The teams must wear uniforms that make it easy to distinguish the two teams. The skates, sticks and any tape on the stick must be of another colour than the ball. In addition to the aforementioned equipment, various protections are used to protect knees, elbows, genitals and throat and the pants and gloves may contain padding.

The first Bandy World Championship for men was first held in 1957, and then every two years starting in 1961, and every year since 2003. In February 2004, Sweden won the first World Championship for women hosted in Finland.

Bandy is now played in a few nations, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the Ukraine, and the United States.

Bandy is notably a popular winter game in Siberia. Bandy club “Kuzbass” has existed in Kemerovo since 1948. Today the club is included into number of the strongest teams of the world and gets prize-winning places in the championships of Russia. Players of the club regularly play for a national team. The city team on bandy is a three-time bronze prize-winner of Russia championships.

Notes:

· aforementioned – вышеупомянутый

Make up your own sport. Invent your own game for people to play. Think of the equipment that you need to play the game. Decide what the object of the game is. Make up five rules about the game. Explain your new game to the group.