Roller hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using wheeled skates. It can be played with traditional roller skates (quad skates) or with inline skates and use either a ball or puck. Combined, roller hockey is played in nearly 60 countries worldwide.
31-590: The WSE Continental Cup is an annual roller hockey match organised by the World Skate Europe - Rink Hockey since 1980, and contested by the winners of the top two European club competitions, the WSE Champions League (1st tier) and the WSE Cup (2nd tier). The current winners are Portuguese side Porto , who defeated Spanish side Voltregà 5–3 in the 2023 final-four edition to win their second title. It
62-411: A catcher to catch shots made on goal, and a flat, usually square, mitt called a blocker which is used to deflect shots on goal. The Quad hockey goalie uses a flat batting glove that provides rebound characteristics when blocking a shot on goal. Rink hockey is a variation of roller hockey. Rink hockey is the overarching name for a rollersport that has existed long before inline skates were "re-invented" in
93-421: A dry rink divided into two halves by a center line, with one net at each end of the rink. When played more informally, the game often takes place on a smooth, asphalt surface outdoors. The game is played in three 15-minute periods or if it is higher standard it's played 20-minutes in each of the three periods, plus 10- to 15-minute intermission breaks. The game rules differ from ice hockey in a few simple ways: there
124-406: A final-four format involving the two top-ranked teams of each European club competition since 2017 (except in 2021, played as a one-legged match between two teams). Roller hockey There are three major variants of organized roller hockey. Traditional " roller hockey " (also called rink hockey, quad hockey, and hardball hockey) is played using quad skates, curved/'cane' sticks, and a ball; it
155-426: A number of countries to vote against Catalan membership. While it was a recognized member, Catalonia's national team won the 2004 Rink Hockey Men's B World Championship . The FIRS continued to expand the scope of its governance to additional roller sport disciplines and, by 2017, it served as the governing body of ten sports. The inaugural World Roller Games in 2017 served as the world championship for all ten of
186-429: A skating surface). Otherwise, any dry surface can be used to host a game, typically a roller rink, macadam (asphalt), or cement. Roller hockey is played on both quad skates and inline skates , have different rules and equipment, and involve different types of skating but share the category and name of roller hockey. Roller hockey (quad) is played using traditional quad roller skates, affording greater maneuverability to
217-579: Is a limited-contact sport . " Inline hockey " is played using inline skates, ice hockey sticks , and a puck ; it is a full-contact sport though body checks are not allowed. " Inline skater hockey " is a European version of inline hockey that uses a ball instead of a puck. Rink hockey and inline hockey are governed internationally by World Skate , while inline skater hockey is governed by International Inline Skater Hockey Federation . Most professional hockey games take place on an indoor or outdoor sport court (a type of plastic interlinking tiles used to create
248-410: Is no icing and it is played in a 4 on 4 player format instead of 5 on 5. The overtime method used here is golden goal (a.k.a. "sudden death") in which whoever scores first is the winner; 5 minutes is the duration per period. Generally speaking, only competitive-level inline hockey is strictly bound by the governing body's rules. Recreational hockey leagues may make modifications to certain aspects of
279-627: Is the only governing body in the world for all sports performed on skating wheels. The organisation is the successor of the Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports (FIRS) founded on 21 April 1924. World Skate serves as the international governing body for: World Skate was established as the Fédération Internationale de Patinage a Roulettes (FIPR) on 21 April 1924 as an organ for creating multinational European championship tournaments for roller sports. The founding meeting
310-528: Is the only sport-type on the World Games programme to be represented in three separate clusters, with speed skating categorized with "Trend Sports," artistic skating with "Artistic Sports," and inline hockey with "Ball Sports." In May 2019, Panam Sports announced that skateboarding had been removed from the roller sports program for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima because World Skate could not guarantee that
341-576: Is usually used. World Skate is the international association that organize the biggest roller hockey world championship for rink hockey and inline hockey. The championships are part of the biennial World Roller Games and over twenty national teams participate in these events. For inline hockey in the U.S., teams travel to different locations around their state, sometimes even going out of state. There are intrastate tournaments and out-of-state tournaments. There are even national tournaments competitive teams compete for. There are other tournaments located in
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#1733085775325372-882: The 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona . Since 2017, the World Championships have been held every two years at the World Roller Games organised by World Skate . In England , 9 teams currently play in the Roller Hockey Premier League , which is governed by the NRHA . Inline hockey is a variation of roller hockey very similar to ice hockey , from which it is derived. It is referred to by many names worldwide, including Ball Hockey, Inline hockey , Roller hockey, Longstick hockey, Deck hockey, Road hockey , Street hockey and Skater hockey depending on which region of
403-600: The 2021 World Games , during 15–25 June in Birmingham, Alabama . Birmingham marks the 40th anniversary of the event which will feature 3,600 athletes from more than 100 countries. This the first time the World Games has returned to the United States since 1981. On the programme for the 2021 World Games are four roller sports disciplines; artistic skating, inline hockey, and two speed skating types, road and track. World Skate
434-472: The World Games since the first games, held in 1981 . Both artistic skating and inline speed skating track have been featured at every holding of the Games, and either roller hockey or inline hockey has been featured at all but the 1997 World Games . The International World Games Association (IWGA) announced on 16 April 2018 that four roller sports would be included in the 30 official sports competing for gold at
465-406: The '70s (They were actually invented before quads, in the 1760s). Rink hockey has been played on quad skates , in sixty countries worldwide and so has many names worldwide. Sometimes the sport is called quad hockey, international style ball hockey, Rink hockey, roller hockey and hardball hockey , depending on which region of the world it is played. Roller hockey was a demonstration rollersport in
496-606: The FIRS Congress in 2000, a vote approved the modification of the name from Fédération Internationale de Roller Skating to Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports ; the FIRS acronym remained unchanged. In November 2004, the FIRS became subject of political controversy, known as the Fresno Case , when it revoked the provisional membership status of Catalonia . Spanish officials were reported as having brought pressure to bear on
527-736: The FIRS' governed sports, merging the various world championship tournaments into a two week skating event hosted in Nanjing, China. The second World Roller Games were held in 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. The FIRS rebranded as World Skate in June 2017. Along with the rebrand, the World Roller Games were renamed the World Skate Games. The 2022 World Skate Games in Argentina will be the first edition to utilize
558-402: The U.S but played by players all around the world. Narch and Statewars are two Nationwide tournaments of every skill level and age group. In Europe, rink hockey is governed by World Skate Europe - Rink Hockey (CERH), inline hockey is governed by World Skate Europe - Inline Hockey (CERILH), and inline skater hockey is governed by International Inline Skater Hockey Federation (IISHF). Many of
589-590: The World Championship of 11 disciplines: alpine, artistic, inline downhill, inline freestyle, inline hockey, rink hockey, roller derby, roller freestyle, scooter, skateboard, and speed. The first edition of the event was hosted in Nanjing , China during September 2017 as the 'World Roller Games.' Over 3,000 athletes, 193 national teams, and 61 national federations participated in the fifteen-day festival, which named world champions in ten sports. The second edition of
620-430: The World Roller Games attracted more than 4,000 athletes to Barcelona , Spain during July 2019. Seventy-six national federations participated in eleven sports. The third edition of the event – the first to be contested under the rebranded 'World Skate Games' moniker – was originally scheduled to take place in during October and November 2021 in the host cities of Vicente López, Buenos Aires and San Juan, Argentina . It
651-510: The governing body for all roller skating sports and renamed as the Fédération Internationale de Roller Skating (FIRS). It gained member status in the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) in the 1970s. Artistic skating, rink hockey, and speed skating remained the principal sports regulated by FIRS until inline hockey was included in the 1990s, with the first Inline Hockey World Championship held in 1995. At
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#1733085775325682-464: The new name. Due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , World Skate banned Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from its competitions, and will not stage any events in Russia or Belarus in 2022. Since 2017, World Skate has organized the bi-annual World Skate Games , comprising all roller sport disciplines governed by World Skate. The World Skate Games are a multi-sport event that serves as
713-570: The park event features what resembles an empty swimming pool. Competitors have three timed runs for tricks. On street, there are ramps and rails for routines and tricks. At the 2020 Olympics, a total of 80 spots were available, with a maximum of 20 competitors per event. Each country could enter up to three athletes in each event. Roller sport made its debut at the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 , in which two speed skating events were added as medal sports. World Skate has been represented at
744-409: The player - this results in games filled with fancy footwork, tight maneuvering, and is more similar to football or basketball. The stick is more or less the same as in bandy and shinty . Roller hockey (inline) bears close resemblance to ice hockey and is played on inline skates, uses an ice hockey stick and includes a lot of fast "racing back and forth" action. Inline hockey goalies use a glove called
775-404: The rules to suit local requirements (size of rink, length of periods and penalties). Roller hockey is a growing sport with teams cropping up all over the country. The fact that it can be played on any dry surface means that it can be played in almost any leisure center. Most competitive youth hockey teams play in tournaments. The tournaments vary depending on location, but a typical bracket system
806-418: The same brands that make ice hockey equipment also make roller hockey skates including Bauer, Easton, Mission, Tron and many more. There are also some brands that specialize in roller hockey like el Leon de Oro (Spain), Tour, Alkali, Revision and Mission (but they make some ice hockey equipment also). Other rink hockey brands include Reno, TVD, Meneghini, Proskate and Azemad. World Skate World Skate
837-436: The world in which it is played. Like ice hockey, inline hockey is considered a contact sport , however body checking is prohibited. It is similar to ice hockey in that teamwork, skill and aggressiveness are needed. Excepting the use of inline roller skates instead of ice skates, the equipment of inline roller hockey is similar to that of ice hockey. The game is played by two teams, consisting of four skaters and one goalie, on
868-633: Was held in 1937–38, with events in Monza , Italy; London , United Kingdom; and Ferrara , Italy. After a pause to all sport competition during World War II , the World Championships resumed in 1947 and the first Artistic Skating World Championship was held in Washington, D.C. , United States. During the 1960s, the organization was recognized by the International Olympic Committee and
899-480: Was later announced that the Games would be postponed until 2022 due to scheduling conflicts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic but were expected to be hosted in Argentina as originally planned. In 1992, roller hockey was played at the 1992 Summer Olympics as a demonstration sport . Skateboarding events were introduced beginning at the 2020 Summer Olympics with two events: park and street . Much like BMX cycling ,
930-510: Was organized by Fred Renkewitz and Otto Myer and included representatives from France, Germany, Great Britain, and Switzerland. Renkewitz served as president of the FIPR from its founding in 1924 until 1960. The FIPR began organizing World Championship events in the later 1930s, with the first Rink Hockey World Championship hosted in Stuttgart in 1936 . The inaugural Speed Skating World Championship
961-743: Was originally contested by the winners of the European Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup , both organised by the Comité Européen de Rink-Hockey . In 1997, following the merging of the two competitions to form the Champions League, the Continental Cup began being contested against the winners of the CERS Cup (currently WSE Cup ). Mainly contested in a two-team format (one or two legs), it has been played in