Portal:Water polo
Portal maintenance status: (October 2018)
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Introduction
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in the water between two teams. The game consists of four quarters in which the two teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins the match. Each team is made up of six field players and one goalkeeper. Except for the goalkeeper, players participate in both offensive and defensive roles. Water polo is typically played in an all-deep pool meaning that players cannot touch the bottom.
A game of water polo consists of the players swimming to move about the pool, treading water (often using the eggbeater kick technique), passing the ball and shooting at goal. Teamwork, tactical thinking and game awareness are also highly important aspects in a game of water polo. Water polo is a highly physical and demanding sport and has frequently been cited as one of the toughest sports to play.
Selected general articles
- The rules of water polo are the rules and regulations which cover the play, procedure, equipment and officiating of water polo. These rules are similar throughout the world, although slight variations to the rules do occur regionally and depending on the governing body. Governing bodies of water polo include FINA, the international governing organisation for the rules; the NCAA rules, which govern the rules for collegiate matches in the United States; the NFHS rules which govern the rules in high schools in the USA and the IOC rules which govern the rules at Olympic events. Read more...
William Wilson, Scottish aquatics pioneer and originator of the first rules of water polo. - The Holiday Cup is a water polo competition held in the United States since 1998.
It was established as a competition between four countries held in summer, and was expanded to six countries and moved to December. Read more... - LEN European U19 Water Polo Championships is an continental water polo tournament held every two years for the players under the age of 19. It was launched by LEN in 1970 for men and in 1994 for women. Read more...
- Water polo at the World Aquatics Championships is an international water polo tournament held every two years as part of the FINA World Aquatics Championships. The reigning champions are Croatia in men's and the United States in women's competition. Read more...
- Water polo is inducted in the Pan American Games since the first edition of the multi-sports event in 1951, when Buenos Aires was the host. The women's event made its debut in 1999. The United States is the most successful country, winning 16 out of 22 tournaments. Read more...
- This is a list of countries according to the best position achieved by teams from these nations at major Water Polo tournaments. Results are based on major competitions according to FINA's historical records: the water polo tournament at the Olympic Games, the water polo tournament at the FINA World Aquatics Championships, the FINA Water Polo World Cup and the FINA Water Polo World League. Medals earned by athletes from defunct National Federations or historical teams have been merged with the results achieved by their immediate successor states, as follows: Russia inherits medals from the Soviet Union and the Unified Team; Serbia inherits medals from Serbia and Montenegro and Yugoslavia; and Germany inherits medals from West Germany. Note: the IOC does not combine medals of these countries. The table is pre-sorted by total number of first-place results, second-place results and third-place results, respectively. When equal ranks are given, countries are listed in alphabetical order. Read more...
- The LEN Euro League Women, formerly known as LEN European Cup (from 1987 to 1999) and LEN Champions Cup (from 1999 to 2013), is the premier competition for women's water polo clubs of Europe and takes place every year. It is organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN) and was created in 1987 as LEN European Cup. Read more...
- The eggbeater kick is a style of kicking where the swimmer's legs alternate one-legged breaststroke kicks. This form provides continuous support because there is no break in the kick.
The eggbeater kick allows the swimmer to freely use their hands, remain stable in the water without swaying, maintain a constant vertical position, and conserve energy[clarify]. However, it can cause knee problems due to the circular rotation of the knee joint. Read more... - The LEN Champions League is the premier European water polo club competition with teams from up to 18 different countries. It is run by the Ligue Européenne de Natation. Read more...
- The FINA Men's Water Polo World Cup is an international water polo tournament, organized by FINA and featuring eight men's national teams. It was established in 1979, initially taking place on odd years. Since 2002 it is held every four years, in the even-year between Olympics. Read more...
- FINA Junior Water Polo World Championships is an international water polo tournament held every two years for the players under the age of 20. It was launched by FINA in 1981 for men and in 1995 for women .
The 2009 championships were played with U18 teams each, but in 2011 the FINA switched to U20 teams again. Read more... - The European Water Polo Championship is a sport competition for national water polo teams, currently held biannually and organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN), the governing European aquatics federation. There are both men's and women's competitions.
The first European Water Polo Championship was held in 1926 in Budapest, Hungary, with just a men's competition. The women for the first time competed in 1985 (Oslo, Norway) for the European title. The water polo tournament was part of the European Aquatics Championships up to and including 1997, and from 1999 the event was separated and got its own independent tournament. Read more... - Water polo has been part of the Universiade program since the first games, in 1959. A women's water polo tournament was introduced for the 2009 Summer Universiade. Water polo was not included in 1975 and 1989. Read more...
- The Asian Water Polo Cup is an international water polo tournament, organized by Asia Swimming Federation. Read more...
- The World Club Water Polo Challenge was an annual four-day international water polo event, staged at the Drummoyne Swimming Centre in Sydney, Australia from 2014. Read more...
- This is a list of water polo players: Read more...
- The water polo tournaments at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan will be held at the Baku Aquatics Centre in the Baku Games Cluster from 12 to 21 June 2015. 16 teams will compete in the men's tournament and 12 teams in the women's tournament.
Water polo was not included in the earliest list of sports confirmed for the 2015 Games, as the European swimming authorities at that stage were minded not to take part. However, following negotiations with the organising authorities, a compromise was reached whereby, in 2015, these events will be for junior players only - in effect, athletes between the ages of 16 and 17 for both men and women. Read more... - The FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup is an international water polo competition contested by women's national water polo teams of the members of FINA, the aquatic sports' global governing body. The tournament was established in 1979 with an erratic schedule, but it has been contested every four years since 2002. Read more...
- The LEN Super Cup is an annual water polo match organized by LEN and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the Women's LEN Champions' Cup and the Women's LEN Trophy. Read more...
The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship has existed since the 2001 season. Seven conferences have teams competing in women's water polo: the Big West Conference, the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the single-sport Golden Coast Conference, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). Some teams compete at Division III either as members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or independently. Read more...- Inner tube water polo (ITWP) is a variation of the sport water polo with the important difference that players, excluding the goalkeeper, are required to float in inflatable inner tubes. By floating in an inner tube, players experience less contact and expend less energy than traditional water polo players, not having to tread water. This allows casual players to enjoy water polo without undertaking the intense conditioning required for conventional water polo.
This sport is predominantly played at universities by intramural coed teams, but can also be found in recreational adult leagues. The sport's rules resemble those of water polo, however, with no governing body the rules vary across different leagues. For example, while the winner is determined by the team which scores the most goals, some leagues award one point for a male goal, and two points for a female goal, while others award one for either. Read more... - The following terms are used in water polo. Rules below reflect the latest FINA Water Polo Rules. Read more...
Canoe polo, also known as Kayak polo, is one of the competitive disciplines of kayaking, known simply as "polo" by its aficionados. Polo combines boating and ball handling skills with a contact team game, where tactics and positional play are as important as the speed and fitness of the individual athletes.
The game requires excellent teamwork and promotes both general canoeing skills and a range of other techniques unique to the sport. Each team has five players on the pitch (and up to three substitutes), who compete to score in their opponents goal which is suspended two metres above the water. The ball can be thrown by hand, or flicked with the paddle to pass between players and shoot at the goal. Pitches can be set up in swimming pools or any stretch of flat water. Read more...
The NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship is an annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. It has been held every year since 1969. With a limited number of NCAA water polo programs at the national level, all men's teams, whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III, are eligible to compete each year. The tournament was expanded from a four-team bracket in 2013 by adding two play-in games that are contested by the bottom four seeds, effectively creating a six-team bracket with a first-round bye for the top two teams.
While the championship often includes teams from around the country, most programs are located within the state of California, and no school from outside California has ever surpassed third place or participated in the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship game. Read more...- The history of water polo as a team sport began in mid 19th-century England and Scotland, where water sports were a feature of county fairs and festivals. Read more...
- The USA Water Polo Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honor players, coaches and officials who have contributed greatly to the game of water polo in the United States of America. It was established by the USA Water Polo, which is the national governing body in the country. Read more...
- The FINA World Water Polo Development Trophy is an international water polo tournament, organized by FINA. Read more...
- The FINA Water Polo World League is an international water polo league organized by FINA, which plays annually, typically from winter through to June. League play features continental tournaments for men and women, from which the top teams emerge to play in the championship tournament (the "Super Final") where the league champion team is crowned.
Men's league play began in 2002, to capitalize on increased worldwide popularity of water polo created by the 2000 Olympic Games, especially in Europe, North America and Australia. The women’s league was added in 2004, based on growing interest in women's play. Read more...
Water polo has been part of the Summer Olympics program since the second games, in 1900. A women's water polo tournament was introduced for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Hungary has been the most successful country in men's tournament, while the United States is the only team to win multiple times at the women's tournament since its introduction. Read more...- Water polo has been played consistently at the Mediterranean Games since the year 1951. The Italy men's national water polo team is the most successful team among men, while for women it is the Spain women's national water polo team that gain success with the first inaugural Edition in 2018 Mediterranean Games. Read more...
- LEN European Junior Water Polo Championship is an continental water polo tournament held every two years for the players under the age of 17. Read more...
- The Commonwealth Water Polo Championships are held in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games, although they are no longer included in the Commonwealth Games programme. They are in a round robin format. It is implied that the next Games will be held in conjunction with the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia. Read more...
- FINA Youth Water Polo World Championships is an international water polo tournament held every two years for the players under the age of 18. It was launched by FINA in 2012. Read more...
- The "Blood in the Water" match (Hungarian: melbourne-i vérfürdő lit. Blood bath of Melbourne; Russian: Кровь в бассейне, translit. Krov' v basseyne, lit. 'Blood in the swimming pool') was a water polo match between Hungary and the USSR at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The match took place on 6 December 1956 against the background of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, and saw Hungary defeat the USSR 4–0. The name was coined after Hungarian player Ervin Zádor emerged during the last two minutes with blood pouring from above his eye after being punched by Soviet player Valentin Prokopov. Read more...
- The LEN Super Cup is an annual water polo match organized by LEN and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the LEN Champions League and the LEN Euro Cup.
From 1976 to 2002, the LEN Super Cup was contested between the winners of the European Champions Cup/LEN Champions League and the winners of the LEN Cup Winners' Cup. After the discontinuation of the LEN Cup Winners' Cup, it has been contested by the winners of the LEN Champions League and the winners of the LEN Cup, which was renamed the LEN Euro Cup in 2011. Read more... - The LEN Euro Cup is a second-tier European water polo club competition run by the Ligue Européenne de Natation for those clubs who did not qualify for the LEN Champions League. The cup was inaugurated in 1992. Read more...
- Ligue Européenne de Natation or LEN (trans: European Swimming League) is the European governing body for aquatic sports affiliated to FINA—it is the Continental Association for Europe. It was formally organized in 1927 in Bologna, Italy, and since 2015 is headquartered in Nyon.
LEN comprises 52 national swimming federations in Europe, and includes Israel which for Olympic-sport purposes is grouped with Europe. LEN is overseen by an elected Bureau (board) composed of Members representing 17 different Federations. LEN oversees aquatic sports in Europe: diving, swimming, open water swimming, synchronized swimming and water polo. Read more...
In water polo, the goalkeeper occupies a position as the last line of defense between the opponent's offence and their own team's goal, which is 2.8 m2 (30 sq ft).
The goalkeeper is different from other people on their team; they possess certain privileges and are subject to different restrictions from those of field players. As well as this, they must possess different skills from those of the fielders. Read more...- The Women's LEN Trophy is LEN's second-tier competition for women's water polo clubs. First held in 2000 as the LEN Women's Cup Winners' Cup, it is currently contested by around 15 teams, which can qualify for it either directly due to high ranking at their domestic league or by being eliminated at certain stages of the Champions' Cup. Italy's Gifa Palermo, Ortigia, Racing Roma, Shturm Ruza and Imperia are the most successful clubs in the competition with two titles each. Read more...
A water polo ball is a ball used in water polo and canoe polo, usually characterized by a bright yellow color and ease of grip ability, so as to allow it to be held with one hand despite its large size. Read more...- FINA or Fédération internationale de natation (English: International Swimming Federation) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competition in water sports. It is one of several international federations which administer a given sport or discipline for the IOC and international community. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
FINA currently oversees competition in six aquatics sports:
swimming,
diving,
high diving,
artistic swimming,
water polo,
and open water swimming. FINA also oversees "Masters" competition (for adults) in its disciplines. Read more...
Did you know...
- ... that William Lister was listed as competing in water polo at the 1900 Summer Olympics, despite having died before the Games began?
- ... that after almost drowning during his foray into water polo, Ka'imi Fairbairn returned to American football and was named the top college kicker in the nation?
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Selected images
A classic 4–2 man-up situation. The attacking white team has 4 players positioned on 2 metres, and 2 players positioned on 4 metres. The 5 outfield defending blue players try to block shots and prevent a goal being scored for the 20 seconds of man-down play. In the top left corner, the shot clock can be seen, showing 28 seconds remaining in the white attack.
William Wilson, Scottish aquatics pioneer and originator of the first rules of water polo
Greece (white) vs. Hungary (blue) play a water polo match at the World Junior Championships 2004 in Naples, Italy.
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