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Water polo

17.4 MB
Team leaders manual. Water polo

Number of medal events: 2

events

Men

Women

Format of competition

Team water sport involving a ball. It is played by two teams consisting of 7 players (1 goalkeeper and 6 field players) in a rectangular pool. The maximum number of additional substitute players is 6. The game is divided into four periods, 8 minutes of actual playing time each. Countdown starts at the beginning of each period as soon as the player touches the ball.

See the schedule

Competition venue: Water Polo Arena

70 S. Khakima St., Kazan

Equipment:goal, ball, field layout
Gear:swimwear, caps

Interesting fact

A distant relative of the modern water polo is the Japanese game with straw barrels. In that game players were rolling inflated skin, which is now substituted by a ball, by poles in the water

Water polo originated from the English game known as rugby

In water polo, a goalkeeper is the only player who can touch the ball with both hands at a 5-metre distance in front of the goal

History

The early incarnation of water polo took its lead from rugby football and was played in rivers and lakes. The basic principle was to ‘carry’ the ball to the opponent's side. In 1870, the London Swimming Club developed rules for ‘football to be played in swimming pools’.

Water polo made its first appearance at the Olympic Games in 1900.

In 1973, it was included into the programme of the FINA World Championships in Belgrade. The game was for men only until the 1986 Championships in Madrid which featured the first water polo competitions for women’s teams.

Since 1979, the FINA Water Polo World Cup has been held every two years between the World Championships. The first Water Polo World League was organised in 2002.

Russia

In Russia people began playing water polo in Moscow and Leningrad in the 1920s. At that time it was widely popular among navy units and subdivisions. The first Soviet Water Polo Championship was held in 1925. The Soviet Water Polo World Cup took place in 1946. Soviet athletes joined FINA in 1947. And in 1951 it was decided that the Soviet national team would take part in the Olympic water polo competitions.

Tatarstan

Kazan water polo players appeared first in the All-Union Games of the Spartak society competition in Lvov in 1950. The team was led by Anatoly Panaioti, who started water polo in Kazan. In the 1950s and 60s Kazan water polo players showed rather modest achievements. The impetus for development of water polo in Kazan was the construction of the first 50-metre swimming pool in Tatarstan, Orgsintez, which was completed in 1973. The adult Sintez team trained at the premises of the Orgsintez pool achieved the right to play in the first division of the RSFSR Championships. The birth date of Sintez is considered to be the beginning of November 1974, when the first water polo tournament for the Orgsintez pool was organised. Today the Sintez water polo team is the LEN Trophy Cup winner and finalist (2006-2007; 2005-2006), the Russian Championships winner (2006-2007), the Russian Cup winner (2005), and the three-time champion of the RSFSR.

Sports schools

Water Polo Olympic Reserve Children and Youth Sports School (Kazan)