Ringette

Not to be confused with ringgit.

Ringette
Women playing ringette in Canada's
National Ringette League (NRL)
Highest governing bodyInternational Ringette Federation (IRF)
First played1963; 61 years ago (1963)
Characteristics
ContactNo contact, incidental only
Team members
TypeFemale winter team sport
EquipmentRingette ring, ringette stick, ice hockey skates, ringette girdle with pelvic protector and other protective gear
VenueStandard Canadian ice hockey rink with ringette markings
Presence
OlympicNo[1][2]
ParalympicNo
World GamesNo

Ringette is a non-contact winter team sport played on an ice rink using ice hockey skates, straight sticks with drag-tips, and a blue, rubber, pneumatic ring designed for use on ice surfaces.[3] While the sport was originally created exclusively for female competitors, it has expanded to now include participants of all gender identities.[4] Although ringette looks ice hockey-like and is played on ice hockey rinks, the sport has its own lines and markings, and its offensive and defensive play bear a closer resemblance to lacrosse or basketball.[5]

The sport was created in Canada in 1963 by Sam Jacks from North Bay, Ontario, and Red McCarthy from Espanola, Ontario. Since then, it has gained popularity to the point where, in 2018, more than 50,000 individuals, including coaches, officials, volunteers, and over 30,000 players, registered to take part in the sport in Canada alone.[6][7] The sport has continued to grow and has spread to other countries including the United Arab Emirates.[8] Two different floor variants of ringette are also played: in-line ringette, and gym ringette.[9][10][11]

Ringette is especially popular in Canada and Finland, having come to prominence as national pastimes in both countries. The premier international competition for ringette is the World Ringette Championships (WRC) which is organized by the International Ringette Federation (IRF). On the international stage, Canadian teams and Finnish teams have proved to be the most successful and are regularly at the top of the rankings. Several other countries currently organize and compete in the sport including Sweden, the United States, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, all of whom have national ringette teams though Slovakia has not competed since the 2016 World Ringette Championships. National organizations for the sport include Ringette Canada, Ringette Finland, the Sweden Ringette Association, USA Ringette, the Czech Ringette Association, and the Slovakia Ringette Association.

The sport is also played at the semi-professional level in Canada (National Ringette League), in Finland (SM–Ringette), and in Sweden (Ringette Dam-SM), as well as the university and college level. In Canada, the sport is a part of the Canada Winter Games programme and the annual Canadian Ringette Championships serves as the country's premier competition for the sport's elite amateur athletes. The sport's first international tournament was hosted in Finland in 1986.[12][13]

  1. ^ "Why isn't ringette in the Olympics?". ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 16 August 2021. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  2. ^ Butler, Nick (4 February 2018). "New sports face struggle to be added to Winter Olympic Games programme, IOC warn". Insidethegames.biz. Dunsar Media. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  3. ^ Maxymiw, Anna (4 November 2014). "Girls on Ice". The Walrus. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Trans-Inclusion Policy and Resources". Ringette Canada. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  5. ^ Allison Lawlor (19 April 2005). "Obituaries, AGNES JACKS, RINGETTE PROMOTER 1923-2005". ringettemanitoba.ca. The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  6. ^ "About Ringette". ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Ringette Canada reaches record registration numbers, announces new president and board appointments". www.ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  8. ^ Pennington, Roberta (3 October 2014). "Ice game hit with desert youngsters". thenationalnews.com. The National News.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gym2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gym3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "The History of Ringette". ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 2000. Archived from the original on 2 March 2000. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Our Sport | History of Ringette". ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2023.