Mon, February 01, 2010
MOSCOW, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Sweden crowned at the 30th bandy world championship final on Sunday by beating hosts Russia here .
Sweden held a lead in Sunday's match from the beginning. Though Russia equalized the score 89 minutes into the game, Sweden managed to defend its championship title in the play-off.
The two traditional strong teams defeated Kazakhstan and Finland respectively in Saturday's semi-finals.
A total of 11 teams, divided into two groups, took part in the 2010 bandy world championship that started last Sunday.
Bandy is a not-so-popular winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The game is played on a rectangle of ice, the same size as a soccer field.
Two teams of 11 players each will compete in a match consisting of two halves of 45 minutes.
The bandy world championship for men was first held in Helsinki, Finland, and then every two years to stage once starting in 1961, and yearly since 2003.
