Water polo facts

Category: history of water sports, interesting facts

Water polo was devised in England in the 1870s and became popular in the United States in the early 20th cent. It is played mainly by club teams, although it is also popular in collegiate competition. Water polo has been an men's Olympic event since 1900. (he Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition).

Exactly the same as in every other sport including all water sports, water polo players carry personal field number so that the referee and spectators coul tell one player from another. In water polo the player's number is placed on their cap that all players are obliged to wear by the water polo rules.

Water polo players swim up to one and a half miles during the course of a water polo game.

The first rules for water polo were written by William Wilson, Scottish aquatics pioneer.

Women's water polo made its Olympic debut in the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.

All water polo is not the same, either, as the game has developed into different variations. Inner tube water polo is a style of water polo with the important difference that players, excluding the goalkeeper, are required to float in inner tubes. Surf polo, another variation of water polo, is played on surfboards. The other variations of water polo are canoe and kayak polo.

Prince William of England was the captain of his collegiate water polo team at St Andrew's University, Scotland.