The national sport of Russia is bandy, an 11-a-side team game played on ice with curved sticks and a small ball on a rink roughly the size of a football pitch. Often nicknamed "Russian hockey," bandy holds the formal status of national sport, even though football and ice hockey draw far larger crowds and television audiences in the country today.
What Is Bandy?
Bandy is a winter team sport that looks like a cross between ice hockey and football. Each side fields 11 players, including a goalkeeper, and the game is played over two 45-minute halves, mirroring association football rather than the shorter periods of ice hockey. Players skate on a large sheet of ice — about 90 to 110 metres long and 45 to 65 metres wide — and use short, curved sticks to control and strike a small, hard ball rather than a flat puck.
The offside rule, free strokes, corner strokes, and penalty shots all echo football, which is why bandy is sometimes described as "football on ice." The sheer size of the playing surface makes endurance and skating speed crucial, and matches can feature high scorelines compared with the tighter, more physical game of ice hockey.
Why Bandy Is Russia's National Sport
Bandy's roots in Russia run deep. Variants of stick-and-ball games on frozen ponds and rivers were played across northern Russia for generations, long before modern rules were codified. Because the country has vast expanses that freeze solid for months, large outdoor ice fields were a natural setting for winter recreation, and bandy flourished as a popular pastime.
The sport became closely tied to national identity during the Soviet era, when organised leagues, clubs, and a strong national team turned it into a symbol of winter athleticism. That heritage is why bandy carries the official designation of national sport, representing the country's long relationship with ice, cold, and outdoor team play. Russia remains one of the dominant forces in international bandy, regularly competing for and winning the Bandy World Championship.
The Sports Russians Actually Watch Most
While bandy is the official national sport, it is not the most popular sport by spectatorship. Football (soccer) commands the largest following, and Russia underlined its football ambitions by hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium staging the final. Ice hockey is the other giant: it enjoys enormous prestige thanks to a storied Soviet and Russian tradition of producing world-class players and championship-winning teams.
- Football: the most widely followed and played sport nationwide
- Ice hockey: a powerhouse winter sport with elite professional leagues
- Bandy: the official national sport, strongest in northern and Siberian regions
- Figure skating and gymnastics: sources of major international medal success
Russia's Wider Sporting Legacy
Beyond bandy, Russia and the former Soviet Union built one of the most decorated sporting records in the world. In ice hockey, Russian and Soviet teams won the World Championship more times than any other nation. Gymnastics produced legends such as Larisa Latynina, whose haul of 18 Olympic medals stood as a record for decades. Figure skating has been a particular stronghold, with Russian skaters claiming a long string of Olympic gold medals across the singles, pairs, and ice dance disciplines.
This breadth of success reflects a culture that has long invested in winter and Olympic sports, from grassroots clubs to elite training systems. Bandy sits within that tradition as the homegrown ice game that gave rise to much of the country's enthusiasm for skating and team play on frozen surfaces.
Bandy and the Olympics
Bandy has appeared on the Olympic stage only once: at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, where it featured as a demonstration sport rather than a medal event. Since then, supporters have repeatedly pushed for full Olympic inclusion, arguing that the sport's strong following in Russia, the Nordic countries, and parts of Central Asia justifies a place on the programme. So far it remains outside the official Winter Olympic schedule, with the Bandy World Championship serving as the sport's premier global competition.
For more on the country behind the sport — its geography, climate, and culture — see the russia country guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the national sport of Russia?
The national sport of Russia is bandy, an 11-a-side ice game played with curved sticks and a small ball on a large rink. It is sometimes called "Russian hockey" and holds official status as the national sport.
Is bandy the same as ice hockey?
No. Bandy is played on a much larger ice surface with 11 players per side, two 45-minute halves, and a small ball instead of a puck. Many of its rules, such as offside and corner strokes, resemble football, which is why it is nicknamed "football on ice."
What is the most popular sport in Russia?
Football (soccer) is the most popular and widely followed sport in Russia, followed closely by ice hockey. Bandy, though the official national sport, has a smaller though devoted following concentrated in northern and Siberian regions.
Has bandy ever been in the Olympics?
Bandy appeared at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo as a demonstration sport, but it has never been a full medal event. Its top international competition is the Bandy World Championship, where Russia is a leading contender.
