In Irkutsk, events began ahead of the opening of the 34th men's bandy world championship, held from January 26 to February 2. Organizers noted its uniqueness, 17 teams are taking part for the first time, and Groups A and B are playing at four stadiums in Irkutsk and Shelekhov. That day also saw the cancellation of a special championship envelope and the minting of a commemorative coin, and Mayor Viktor Kondrashov said sports development and conditions for hockey remain a priority.

The Mayor of Irkutsk, Viktor Kondrashov, took part on January 26 in events preceding the official opening of the 34th Men’s Bandy World Championship, which is taking place in Irkutsk from January 26 to February 2.
At 1:30 p.m., a press conference of the International Bandy Federation was held. Questions from journalists were answered by the Governor of the Irkutsk Region and Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Championship Sergey Eroshchenko, the Mayor of Irkutsk and Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee Viktor Kondrashov, Deputy Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov, President of the International Bandy Federation Boris Skrynnik, and President of the Irkutsk Region Bandy Federation Vladimir Matienko.
The speakers noted that the 34th Men’s Bandy World Championship is a unique sporting event. For the first time, the Bandy World Championship is bringing together such a number of teams — 17. And for the first time, the games of Groups A and B are being held simultaneously at 4 stadiums in Irkutsk and Shelekhov.
The city head noted that hockey is one of the city’s favorite sports. The Women’s Bandy World Championship in Irkutsk in 2012 sparked a wave of interest in this sport among young Irkutsk residents. City rinks, including courtyard rinks, are being actively built, repaired, and put in order in the city. There are currently 23 modern sports rinks in Irkutsk where children’s hockey teams train. For three years in a row, the regional center has hosted the “Irkutsk Mayor’s Cup in Bandy among Courtyard Teams.” The 2014 Cup featured 68 children’s and youth courtyard teams, about a thousand young hockey players. Viktor Kondrashov emphasized that creating conditions for sports in Irkutsk is a priority for the city authorities.
After the press conference, the championship envelope was postmarked. Maria Mashina, Director of the Irkutsk Region Branch of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian Post,” said that in her 30 years of work in the Russian Post system, this is the first time that an unscheduled special envelope issue has been created in such a short time. The print run of the envelope dedicated to the 34th Bandy World Championship is 500,000 copies, 100,000 of which have already been delivered to branches of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian Post” in the Irkutsk Region. The press conference speakers were the first in the world to apply the special cancellation stamp with the championship start date to the envelopes, thereby giving the start to their sale and cancellation throughout the country.
Another interesting event of the day was the minting of the championship commemorative coin.
Before the first match of the championship, in which the national teams of Russia and Kazakhstan played, Viktor Kondrashov warmly congratulated the fans and the teams on the start of the World Championship in Irkutsk, wishing everyone a great mood, vivid impressions from the games, and all the very best.