Important Milestones
2025
-
In 2025, registration for the 3v3 World Floorball Championship in Witherthur in Switzerland was approved by IFF and the planning for Colombia´s and Latin America´s first history World Championship in Floorball started!
-
The championship is scheduled to May 2-3 2025
2024
-
In 2024, the promotion of floorball continued in Bogotá through theoretical and practical workshops at INCCA University
-
In La Guajira, floorball continued to be implemented at the University of La Guajira
2023
-
In 2023 Osneider Montenegro visited the Björkman family in Sweden to study how european floorball is performed. During the 3 months stay he
-
followed Gabriel Björkman to his team practices and matches with Karlskoga Innebandy KIB
-
watched SSL matches (Sweden’s highest floorball league) for both women and men
-
participated in various activities organized by the Värmland Floorball Federation (Värmlands Innebandyförbund)
-
studied various training sessions for both children and adults and for various teams
-
practiced floorball himself with a local team.
-
2022
-
In 2022, Gabriel Björkman and his family traveled to Mingueo, Colombia, to promote floorball together with Osneider Montenegro through workshops and equipment donations, visiting schools and public courts in La Guajira. Supported by interpreter Jesús Maitan, they stayed in Palomino while running daily activities. The week ended with a symbolic match between "Kristinehamn" and "Karlskoga," attended by the mayor of Mingueo, who gave a welcome speech. After the week in La Guajira, the family visited the orphanage "La Casita de Nicolás" in Medellín, where Gabriel had lived as an infant, donating floorball equipment to La Casita and PE as a personal gesture.
-
The mayor of Dibulla, Marlon Amaya Mejía, continued with the "Dibulla Deportiva" project, incorporating floorball as an alternative sport to promote conflict resolution and healthy coexistence.
-
The ACF association’s legal representative donated sports equipment to the group that Samuel Romero was set to lead in Bogotá, and equipment was also donated to Professor Luis in Ocaña, Norte de Santander.
-
In 2021, The Covid-19 situation is still very bad all over the world and the work with promoting floorball has due to the pandemic been a bit slow.
Despite of this, major steps were taken!
-
5 September - Colombia was accepted as the 75th member of
the International Floorball Federation, IFF -
3 September - Formal application from ACF to ask for membership in IFF
-
7 May - Constitution Assembly Meeting for Asociacion Colombiana de Floorball ACF.
The following board was elected:-
President: Osneider Ortega Montenegro
-
Vice President: Gabriel Björkman
-
Secretary: Samuel Romero Umaña
-
Treasurer: Lina Moreno Bonnet
-
Vocal of control: Luis Javier Claro Bayona
-
Discipline: Jaunitt Camargo Mendoza
-
Discipline: Jesús Ledesma Bossio
-
-
In 2020, The first ever floorball tournament in Colombia was planned for, but it had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
-
Gabriel Björkman - Active floorball player in Sweden, born in Medellin, Colombia and raised in Sweden, wanted to promote floorball in Colombia. Gabriel found Osneider Ortega Montenegro on the Internet in spring 2019 and they started to work together with the goal to promote floorball in Colombia with the common goal i mind to be able to massify floorball and to one day have a national selection team to play in the world games. They used the slogan #DosNacionesUnSueño.
-
A workshop was led by professor José Fernando Gómez, representative of the International Federation in Orienteering in Colombia and professor Per Emion, representative of the International Floorball Federation (IFF). The workshop was part of the university's activities to promote this type of alternative sports in the region. They see La Guajira to be potential in orienteering and floorball sports.
-
Osneider Ortega Montenegro, started to promote floorball in Mingueo and other townships of the department, in order to generate spaces for children and young people in the use of free time.
-
In 2017, This time, for the 5th edition, 20 young people from Tumaco had the opportunity to travel to Switzerland to develop a multidisciplinary agenda that will generate practice and learning spaces both in their sports disciplines and in new sports, including floorball, disc golf, archery, badminton, beach volleyball, kin ball and ultimate. Lucas Hohl-Jaramillo was also this time introducing floorball for the children.
-
In 2016, The 4th edition of the sports diplomacy exchange program between Colombia and Switzerland was held with 20 children particifating from Nariño. Lucas Hohl-Jaramillo was again introducing floorball to the children.
-
In 2015, The efforts to gain recognition for the sport in Colombia continued by Per Emion and José Fernando Gomez. Floorball was practiced regularly at the local level in Bucaramanga.
-
Floorball was introduced at the University of Bucaramanga in Colombia by Per Emion from the International Floorball Federation, IFF in Sweden. Per and José Fernando Gomez continued the work to try to create teams and local floorball clubs in Bucaramanga.
-
Clombian-Swiss Lucas Hohl-Jaramillo, introduced floorball to the children in Nariño in October 2014.
This is how it all started
2014 - the very beginning
In 2014, Per Emion, delegate of the IFF, went to Colombia to try to introduce floorball in Colombia. The article below is from his third visit to the country, introducing floorball at the University in Bucaramanga
The International Floorball Federation (IFF) wanted to spread and promote floorball in Latin American countries, and Colombia was one of the first countries to start with.
The photo shows students and professors of the Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education, Recreation and Sports at the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Bucaramanga campus, deepen their knowledge about floorball.
After the workshops that were coordinated by Per Emion, Per continued the work to try to create teams and local floorball clubs in Bucaramanga together with José Fernando Gomez.
2014
In 2014, Lucas Hohl-Jaramillo, a Colombian-Swiss young man, also introduced floorball to the children in Nariño in October 2014.
20 young people from Samaniego (Nariño) arrived in Zurich full of expectations and curiosity about the experiences that the next ten days would bring them in Switzerland as a development of a sports exchange that takes place within the framework of the Promotion Plan of Colombia in the Exterior of the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
Lucas continued the praticing with the children also after they had returned to Colombia.
The fourth day was dedicated to unihockey, a sport originating in Scandinavian countries that adapts ice hockey to the arenas, by eliminating the skates and replacing the puck with a plastic ball. Lukas Hohl, a Colombian-Swiss expert in unihockey led trainings and organized a tournament with local youth at the Biel-Seeland Gymnasium about floorball
2015
In 2015, In 2015, Per Emion, together with José Fernando Gómez, continued their work by conducting training sessions and workshops in Bucaramanga to help establish more local teams and clubs, with the goal of gaining recognition for the sport in Colombia.
The executive committee held regular meetings to keep the momentum going, and the first floorball club in Colombia began meeting consistently for training.
2016
In 2016, The 4th edition of the sports diplomacy exchange program between Colombia and Switzerland was held.
Lucas Hohl-Jaramillo was coaching and coordinating the group thoughout 10 days of sports activities in Switzerland. Floorball was on the schedule even this time.
The program started by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign affairs in 2011 and since was 2013 carried out for the forth time. 20 young Colombians and 2 teachers from the department of Nariño were participating.
2017
In 2017, This time, for the 5th edition, 20 young people from Tumaco had the opportunity to travel to Switzerland to develop a multidisciplinary agenda that will generate practice and learning spaces both in their sports disciplines and in new sports, including floorball, disc golf, archery, badminton, beach volleyball, kin ball and ultimate.
This fifth exchange, for the first time, had the participation of athletes from Tumaco. In addition, for its realization it has had the commitment and involvement of the Government of Nariño, the Mayor's Office of Samaniego, the Mayor's Office of Santacruz and the Mayor's Office of Tumaco.
2018
In 2018, A workshop was led by José Fernando Gómez, representative of the International Federation in Orienteering in Colombia and Per Emion, representative of the International Floorball Federation (IFF). The workshop was part of the university's activities to promote this type of alternative sports in the region. They see La Guajira to be potential in orienteering and floorball sports.
With the participation of students and graduates of the Degree Program in Physical Education, Recreation and Sports, the theoretical-practical Workshop of Alternative Sports was held at Alma Mater. An initiative that seeked to promote the sport of orienteering and floorball in the department, as well as contribute to the quality of the program.
Ricardo López Hernández, director of the Bachelor Program in Physical Education, Recreation and Sports, assured that the objective is to spread the practice of floorball and orientation sports, promote the creation of clubs in the region and strengthen the program of follow-up to graduates to promote high-level training and entrepreneurship. In this way, the sports sector in La Guajira would have other fields of action.
José Fernando Gómez, representative of the International Orienteering Federation in Colombia, assured that although these sports are recent in the country, La Guajira is becoming a node for the development of this type of physical practice. He also highlighted the potential of the region and the importance of alternative sports for undergraduate students, especially due to the additional elements they acquire through them, such as; temporal spatial location and decision making.
For his part, Per Emion, representative of the International Floorball Federation, indicated that Riohacha has small sports spaces that are perfect for practicing this physical activity and stressed that the peninsula is a perfect venue for orienteering sports, especially the area. of beaches.
In this sense, the student of the Degree Program in Physical Education, Recreation and Sports, Osneider Ortega Montenegro, promotes floorball in Mingueo and other townships of the department, in order to generate spaces for children and young people in the use of free time. He assured that his interest in this sport was born after a field trip to the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombica - UCC de Bucaramanga.
2019
In 2019, Gabriel Björkman - Active floorball player in Sweden, born in Medellin, Colombia and raised in Sweden, wanted to promote floorball in Colombia. Gabriel found Osneider Ortega Montenegro on the Internet in spring 2019 and they started to work together with the goal to promote floorball in Colombia.
Gabriel started to raise money and floorball material (sticks, uniforms, equipment for both players on the field and goalies, shoes, bottles). Even a floorball rink was donated by a coach in Filipstad, Sweden. The planning for the first floorball tournament in Colombias history started. The date for the tournament was set to July 2020.
Source: https://www.filipstadstidning.se/2019/11/07/han-satsar-pa-att-introducera-innebandy-i-colombia/
2020
In 2020, The planning for the first floorball tournament in Colombia continued, but it had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The preparation for the tournament continued, and everything was prepared for. Invitation letters was already sent out, the venue was booked, referees were scheduled to travel from Switzerland for the tournament. Food was planned for, places for the players to stay, schedules and match protocols were translated into english and spanish.
2021
In 2021, The Covid-19 situation is still very bad all over the world and the work with promoting floorball has due to the pandemic been a bit slow. In June 2021, the request was submitted to the Colombian Ministry of Sports in order to seek official recognition of the sport in the country. The request was answered, and for this, floorball in Colombia had to meet certain criteria.
Throughout that year, efforts were made to meet the requirements, but a positive response was not achieved.
Due to COVID-19, many activities were paralyzed.
However, by September 2021, the first municipal Floorball tournament was held in the department of La Guajira, specifically in Dibulla, with children’s and youth categories. This project was carried out by the municipal government with the aim not only of promoting the sport but also of working on the social impact that the sport can have on the community.
Meanwhile, Atlético Floorball Club from Maicao continued to hold training sessions with the equipment donated by Osneider Ortega Montenegro, leader of Floorball Club Reyes Guajiros. These training sessions were organized in preparation for a club gathering.
Despite the Covid situation, two important steps was taken during 2021:
-
Asociación Colombiana de Floorball, ACF, has been registered
-
Application for membership in the International Floorball Federation, IFF, has been approved by the 5th of September 2021
Floorball is now an organised sport in Colombia and we are looking forward to see the development and the growth of the sport throughout the whole country.
Floorball Report, dated 3th of September 2021
"In Colombia, the massification of Floorball has been a bit slow for two reasons, the first due to the lack of original materials and the greater due to Covid -19. However, we have been advancing in the sports legislation process, in search of a Membership to the IFF in recognition of the Ministry of Sports of Colombia and, in turn, the Olympic Committee. As of June 11, 2021, we became the Colombian Floorball Association (ACF). We have affiliates from different parts of Colombia and each of them is in charge of promoting Floorball in their region, we also managed to contact a group of young people who through exchanges with the Swiss embassy learned about Floorball and today want to be part of it. ACF. Our next step is to publicize Floorball through educational entities such as schools and universities, hold local tournaments while improving the situation with the Covid-19 to organize a national tournament A good step has been taken, which has been the purchase of some Floorball materials thanks to Gabriel Björkman, the vice president of the (ACF) and his mother who has been the person who has helped us the most in the development of Colombian Floorball. In a couple of days we will receive this material that will help us prepare for the first national Floorball tournament.
Osneider Ortega Montenegro President Asociación Colombiana de Flooball, AFC"
2022
In 2022, the request for sports recognition was submitted again, since the criteria requested by the Ministry had been met.
This was achieved with the support of the IFF (International Floorball Federation), but even so, no positive response was received from the Ministry of Sports.
Meanwhile, practices and competitions continued. That same year, the mayor of Dibulla, Marlon Amaya Mejía, continued with the "Dibulla Deportiva" project, incorporating floorball as an alternative sport to promote conflict resolution and healthy coexistence.
Also in 2022, the ACF association’s legal representative donated sports equipment to the group that Samuel Romero was set to lead in Bogotá, and equipment was also donated to Professor Luis in Ocaña, Norte de Santander.
Gabriel Björkman traveled with his family to Mingueo, to meet Osneider Ortega and carry out a floorball week filled with workshops and equipment distribution. A large number of jerseys in different colors and from various Swedish clubs, along with tactic boards, whistles, first aid kits, about 15 kilos of sticks and blades, and much more floorball equipment were given away.
Over the course of a week, the familiy visited various schools and public outdoor courts in the surroundings of La Guajira, to promote the sport and engage children and youth. To ensure smooth communication, the family was supported by Jesús Maitan, who acted as an interpreter during their stay.
The Björkman family stayed at the Dreamer Hostel in Palomino, where they planned the workshops. Each day, they taught from early morning until late at night and visited schools where Osneider had previously introduced floorball.
Activities for promoting the sport were carried out at the educational institution in Dibulla as well as at the institution in Palomino.
Activities were also held with the kids from FCRG Floorball Club Reyes Guajiros, where Osneider Ortega Montenegro is the managing coach.
The week concluded with a symbolic derby match between "Kristinehamn" and "Karlskoga" – at least as represented by their jerseys. The match began with greetings between the teams and a welcome speech from the mayor of Mingueo, who wished the players and everyone involved the best of luck.
After a close game, Kristinehamn emerged victorious with a 4–3 win after two periods of 20 minutes each.
After the floorball week in Mingueo, the family continued their journey to Medellín, where they visited the orphanage "La Casita de Nicolás" – the place where Gabriel had lived during his first year of life before being adopted. During the visit, floorball sticks were donated to the children and their sports teacher, both to spark interest in the sport and as a personal gesture from Gabriel, who wanted to give back to the home that had once been his.
Source: The Björkman family
2023
By 2023, this discipline began to be introduced in universities, such as at Uniguajira, incorporating floorball into the Physical Education program as part of new sports trends, with the goal of teaching the sport to future physical education graduates.
Additionally, in Bogotá, a workshop was held with students from the specialization seminar at UMB University, within the subject of new sports trends, led by Samuel Romero, where the practice and dissemination of the sport were taught.
It was gratifying for Samuel to receive support from the Director of the Physical Culture and Sports program at INCCA University for these meaningful learning opportunities.
Source: Osneider Ortega Montenegro
2024
In 2024, the promotion of floorball continued in Bogotá through theoretical and practical workshops at INCCA University and with young professionals in Physical Culture and Sports. Meanwhile, in La Guajira, floorball continued to be implemented at the University of La Guajira, creating a significant impact, as some graduating students became interested in practicing the sport not only in La Guajira but also in Cesar, where equipment was donated to support the development of the sport.
Source: Osneider Ortega Montenegro
2025
-
In 2025, registration for the 3v3 World Floorball Championship in Witherthur in Switzerland was approved by IFF and the planning for Colombia´s and Latin America´s first history World Championship in Floorball started! The championship was held May 2-3 2025.
-
Colombia´s first historic goal in the WFC was scored by Gabriel Björkman.
