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“The Russian Olympic committee very much wants to see bandy at Sochi, <br />and they have the support of Vladimir Putin,” said Magnus Skold, the main <br />organizer for the United States team and a vice president of the Federation <br />of International Bandy, referring to the Russian prime minister. “There’s a <br />very good chance that they can make it happen.” <br />Dutch paintings from the 16th century regularly show scenes of people <br />striking a ball on the ice, and at least one, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, may <br />. <br />showskaters chasing after a ball <br />The earliest record of a bandy club, Bury Fen in England, dates to 1813. In <br />those days the fens of East Anglia regularly froze in winter, giving rise to a <br />lively culture of distance skating and bandy. In 1853, a game, referred to as <br />“hockey on the ice,” was played at Windsor Castle with Prince Albert in <br />goal. One of the earliest soccer clubs, and one still playing today, was <br />founded in 1865 as Nottingham Forest Football and Bandy Club. <br />The rules of bandy were codified in 1882, seven years after the rules for <br />hockey were codified in Montreal. While hockey spread across Canada and <br />the northern United States, bandy spread across Northern Europe, <br />becoming a popular wintertime game from the Netherlands to Prague to St. <br />Petersburg, Russia. <br />Some N.H.L. players have credited their success to skating skills learned in bandy. Goalies use gloves <br />and can’t use sticks. <br /> <br />