Cycle ball

Last updated
Cycle ball
UCI Cycle Ball 2on1.jpg
Cycle ball
Highest governing body Union Cycliste Internationale
First played1883
Characteristics
ContactNo
Team membersYes
Mixed-sex No
TypeCycle sports
Presence
Country or regionEurope, Japan
Olympic No
World Games 1989
Cycle-ball, early 20th century Liebig bike polo.jpg
Cycle-ball, early 20th century

Cycle-ball, also known as "radball" (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.

Contents

History

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.

Cycle ball court Spielfeld Radball.svg
Cycle ball court

Closely related is artistic cycling in which the athletes perform a kind of gymnastics on cycles.

Rules

The game is played by two teams of two players in a field of 14 meters length by 11 meters width. [2]

Championships

Results

Since 1.1.2010 to 1.1.2026:

Men [5] / Women [6]

Ranking

Last Update: 1.1.2026

Men

Source: [7]

Since 1930

Rank Matches Points

1 Slovakia 484 4122

2 Austria 475 4016

3 Switzerland 498 3884

4 France 466 3687

5 Czechia 474 3641

6 Liechtenstein 21 3516

7 Croatia 70 3320

8 USA 32 3225

9 Romania 60 3188

10 Belgium 434 3149

11 Japan 313 3101

12 Spain 49 3020

13 Serbia 5 2983

14 Denmark 195 2961

15 Sweden 122 2938

16 Hungary 118 2913

17 Türkiye 5 2832

18 Italy 61 2816

19 Germany 11 2770

20 Hong Kong 255 2769

21 Norway 11 2769

22 Netherlands 132 2766

23 Armenia 35 2728

24 Australia 68 2637

25 Ghana 5 2608

26 Jordan 16 2459

27 Malaysia 234 2451

28 Canada 56 2370

29 Thailand 25 2284

30 Great Britain 21 2069

31 Macau 52 1604

Ranking generated from a database of 2479 matches.

Ranking generated at 09:42:38 on Tuesday, 16 December, 2025.

Women

Source: [8]

Since 2023

Rank Matches Points

1 Germany 11 3472

2 Switzerland 11 3201

3 Czechia 9 2961

4 Japan 11 2880

5 Austria 4 2486

Ranking generated from a database of 23 matches.

Ranking generated at 09:42:47 on Tuesday, 16 December, 2025.

National Teams

Have 5 women (Since 2023) and 31 men (Since 1930) teams at 1.1.2026.

Men

Africa (1): Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana

Americas (2): Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada - Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States

Asia & Oceania (7): Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia - Flag of Japan.svg  Japan - Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong - Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan - Flag of Malaysia 23px.svg  Malaysia - Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand - Flag of Macau.svg  Macau

Europe (21): Flag of Germany.svg  Germany - Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland - Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic - Flag of Austria.svg  Austria - Flag of France.svg  France - Flag of Liechtenstein.svg  Liechtenstein - Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia - Flag of Romania.svg  Romania - Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium - Flag of Spain.svg  Spain - Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia - Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark - Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden - Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary - Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey - Flag of Italy.svg  Italy - Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia - Flag of Norway.svg  Norway - Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands - Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia - Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

Women

Asia & Oceania (1): Flag of Japan.svg  Japan

Europe (4): Flag of Germany.svg  Germany - Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland - Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic - Flag of Austria.svg  Austria

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill (October 16, 2011). Historical Dictionary of Cycling. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 56–57. ISBN   9780810871755.
  2. ↑ "UCI CYCLING REGULATIONS - PART 8 INDOOR CYCLING - CYCLE BALL" (PDF). Union Cycliste Internationale.
  3. ↑ https://www.indoorcyclingworldwide.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20240811_ACWC_III_startlist.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  4. ↑ https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1143069/european-cycling-championships-locations [ bare URL ]
  5. ↑ https://roonbasports.com/cycleball/men/2026.html
  6. ↑ https://roonbasports.com/cycleball/women/2026.html
  7. ↑ https://roonbasports.com/cycleball/men/rankingworld.html
  8. ↑ https://roonbasports.com/cycleball/women/rankingworld.html
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