Cycle ball
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (April 2024) |
![]() | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (November 2018) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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![]() Cycle ball | |
Highest governing body | Union Cycliste Internationale |
---|---|
First played | 1883 |
Characteristics | |
Contact | No |
Team members | Yes |
Mixed-sex | No |
Type | Cycle sports |
Presence | |
Country or region | Europe, Japan |
Olympic | No |
World Games | 1989 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Liebig_bike_polo.jpg/220px-Liebig_bike_polo.jpg)
Cycle-ball, also known as "radiball" (from German), is a sport similar to association football played on bicycles. The two people on each team ride a fixed gear bicycle with no brakes or freewheel. The ball is controlled by the bike and the head, except when defending the goal.
History
[edit]The sport was introduced in 1883 by American artistic cyclist, Nicholas Edward Kaufmann.[1] The first match was played on September 14 that year between Kaufmann and fellow artistic cyclist John Featherly.[1] Its first world championships were in 1929. In the early 20th century, the sport spread to Germany; in the modern day, Germany is the location of the sport's largest fanbase.[1] Cycle-ball is also popular in Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.[1] The most successful players were the Pospíšil brothers of Czechoslovakia, world champions 20 times between 1965 and 1988.
Closely related is artistic cycling in which the athletes perform a kind of gymnastics on cycles.
Championships
[edit]- UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships
- Cycle-ball at the 2005 and 2007 Asian Indoor Games
- Cycle-ball at the 1989 World Games
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill (October 16, 2011). Historical Dictionary of Cycling. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 56–57. ISBN 9780810871755.