Ahead of the final day of the 2012 World Bandy Championships, Kazakhstan lost to Sweden on penalties. Later on, it turned out that Sweden’s Daniel Mossberg was on among the players even though he was not registered in the line-up. Kazakhstan’s team filed a protest in the hope that the match result will be canceled, and Kazakhstan will play against Russia in the final. However, such a miracle did not happen. Sweden paid a fine of two thousand five hundred euros, while Kazakhstan showing a great strength of will, won the match against Finland on Sunday with a score of 10:5 and won bronze medals.

Rauan Issaliyev, Captain, Kazakhstan National Bandy Team
«We were the second to play in semifinal. We had less time to recover and we slept little at night. In the morning, we just got up and said: guys, we need and must make every effort and prove that we deserve the bronze medals.»

Aleksei Nikishov, Head Coach, Kazakhstan National Bandy Team
«I am very much thankful to the team. They became a real team in a short period of time. They were united and they should good ice hockey.»

Meanwhile, the team of Sweden clinched the champion title following a narrow 5-4 win over Russia in the final. A Congress of the International Federation, which praised the World Cup, took place in Almaty ahead of the final matches.

Boris Skrynnik, President, International Bandy Federation
«I would like to say that Almaty, Kazakhstan organized the championship very well and I would like to thank the country once again.»

The Congress decided to establish the Asian Bandy Centre in Almaty. In 2014, this kind of sports will be presented at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Four years later, it will become part of in the Winter Olympics programme. Therefore, the competition for the spot in the elite division and medals has become so tense. Kazakhstan, as shown by the recent championship, played on an equal footing with the tenfold world champion, the team of Sweden. Such a fact is now a worrying matter for Kazakhstan’s opponents.