Last Updated on October 2, 2021 by
Yes! Water Polo is a sporting event, and it first emerged at the Summer Olympics since the second Olympic Games in 1900. During the 2000 Olympic Games, the first women’s tournament was introduced, and ever since it has been a widely accepted sport throughout the world. The game is played in a swimming pool by two opposing teams with seven players each.
It is a game played in four quarters, and the object is to score more goals by throwing the ball into the goal of the opposing team. Any team with the highest goals at the end of the match emerges as the winner. A water polo team is made up of one goalkeeper and six field players who are involved in both the defensive and offensive roles.
As a player, you need to swim to move around the pool while also treading water using the eggbeater kick. Players have great passing and shooting skills, with teamwork and tactical awareness also important to thrive in the game. People who play or participate in the game understand that it is not quite easy to play because it is physically and mentally demanding.
Brief History
In the mid-19th century, water polo was originated in Scotland by William Wilson as a sort of “water rugby”. The game later was widely accepted by people in parts of Europe, the United States, Brazil, China, Canada, and Australia as it began to expand after the London Water Polo League was formed. In the beginning, the game was really bodily as players were allowed to use their physical strength to get the ball from opponents. So, you can imagine that there would be heavy body contacts and impacts.
In the mid-19th century, the Scottish and British showed their great admiration for racing exhibitions and water sport as a feature of county carnivals and fiestas, and that’s why the game of water polo started as a demonstration of swimming skill and strength. William Wilson developed the rules of water polo in late nineteenth-century Great Britain. In the 1900 Olympics, the water polo for men category was one of the first team sports to be recognized and introduced.
On the 15th of September 1873, there was an antecedent of the modern game of water polo at the 4th Open Air Fete of the London Swimming Club, Crystal Palace, London. Another water polo event came up on the 13th of July 1876 at Bournemouth between 12 members of the Premier Rowing Club.
Rules Of Water Polo
The rules of water polo have to do with the gameplay, procedures, equipment and officiating. These rules are universal and apply to all levels of play, but there might be slight variations depending on the governing body and the country of play. The followings are the major governing bodies of water polo. They include (IOC): International Olympic Committee which governs the rules at Olympic events, (NFHS): National Federation of State High School Associations which govern the rules in high schools in the United States, and (NCAA): National Collegiate Athletic Association which govern the rules for collegiate matches in the United States.
Basic Rules Of The Game
1. The playing surface area is 30m x 20m with the lowest depth of 2m.
2. Each team should have 13 players in total, with only 7 players in play at any time, 1 goalkeeper, and 6 field players
3. Field players are not allowed to use two hands to hold the ball at any point in the game. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to do that within 5m of his own goal.
4. There are four quarters in the game, and each quarter lasts for eight minutes with a two-minute break between quarters.
5. Players can only move the ball upfield by swimming with it in front of them or bypassing another teammate.
6. No player should touch the bottom of the pool at any point in the game and players must tread water throughout the match.
7. A team can only hold on to the ball for 30 seconds without shooting at the opponent’s goal.
8. A point is gotten when a goal is scored. A goal is scored when the ball is thrown completely under the crossbar and between the goalposts.
9. There are two major types of fouls in the game. The ordinary fouls and major fouls. Players are excluded from the game after having more than three major fouls.
10. A shootout is used to decide the winner if the score remains tied at the end of the game.
Object Of The Game
The object of water polo is to play as a team to score more points than the opposing team to become the winner of the match. It is common to see high-scoring games in water polo, with some teams capable of scoring more than 20 goals each.
Players & Equipment
A water polo team consists of seven active players playing in the pool at a time. This includes one goalie and six field players. The gameplay of water polo is unique as players move from one position to another as the game demands. Unlike other team sports like basketball or football where players have a certain position to keep to, positions are either defensive or offensive in water polo. All the players are involved in both the offensive and defensive roles. In terms of playing equipment, water polo doesn’t require many. Players wear trunks or swimsuits depending on sex and googles and swimming caps if required. The basic equipment for playing water polo is a net and a ball.
Scoring
In water polo, a goal is scored when the ball is completely thrown into the goalposts and below the crossbar. A team is only allowed to hold on to the ball for 30 seconds without shooting for a goal. However, a team can retain possession of a ball after making the shoot for a goal, and the ball rebounds.
Winning The Game
The team with the most point at the end of the game wins the match. But if a match is tied at the end of the game, a penalty shootout is used to determine the winner. Five players will be chosen from each team to shoot directly from the 5m line.
Countries Participating In Water Polo
Water polo is played by both men and women, but the number of participating nations for men is much more than the women. Some of the popular countries in the category of men include the US, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia while countries like Australia, Greece, Italy are popular among women’s category.
Final Words
Water polo is one of the toughest sports out there that is played in a swimming pool by two opposing teams with seven players each. The game is played in four quarters, and the object is to score more goals by shooting the ball into the goal of the opposing team. We’ve come to the closing chapter of this informative article. We hope you were able to find good and reliable resources in your quest to know if water polo is a sport. If you have any questions or comments about the article topic, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks!
