History of water polo - wikipedia History of water polo 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. Contents 1 Development of the game 1.1 Local rule variations 2 Olympic competition 3 International play 4 Results of the major international championships 4.1 Olympic Games 4.2 Championships organized by the Federation Internationale de Natation ( FINA ) 4.2. 1 I. FINA World Aquatics Championships 4.2. 2 II. FINA Water Polo World Cup 4.2. 3 III. FINA Water Polo World League 5 US colleges and clubs 6 See also 7 Notes 8 Further reading 9 External links Development of the game William Wilson, Scottish aquatics pioneer and originator of the first rules of water polo. The rules of water polo were originally developed in the mid-nineteenth century in Great Britain by William Wilson. The modern game originated as a form of rugby football played in rivers and lakes in England and Scotland with a ball constructed of Indian rubber. This `` water rugby '' came to be called `` water polo '' based on the English pronunciation of the Balti word for ball, it means pulu. Early play allowed brute strength, wrestling and holding opposing players underwater to recover the ball ; the goalie stood outside the playing area and defended the goal by jumping in on any opponent attempting to score by placing the ball on the deck. By the 1880s, the game stressed swimming, passing, and scoring by shooting into a goal net ; players could only be tackled when holding the ball and could not be taken under water. Canada was one of the first countries outside Britain to adopt the sport. The Montreal Swimming Club which had formed in 1876 formed a water polo team in 1887 and games were played in the St. Lawrence River along the shore of St. Helen 's Island. To deal with constant changes in rules, in 1888, the London Water Polo League was founded and approved rules to allow team competition, forming the foundation of the present game. The first English championships were played in 1888. In 1890, the first international water polo game was played ; Scotland defeated England, 4 -- 0. Water polo final at the 1908 Summer Olympics Between 1890 and 1900, the game developed in Europe, with teams competing in Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Hungary and Italy, using British rules. A different game was being played in the United States, characterized by rough play, holding, diving underwater, and soft, semi-inflated ball that could be gripped tightly and carried underwater. In 1900, the sport of water polo was added to the program of the Olympics -- the first team sport to be added. Due to the different codes, European teams did not compete. By 1914, most US teams agreed to conform to international rules. An international water polo committee was formed in 1929, consisting of representatives from Great America and the International Amateur Swimming Federation ( FINA ). Rules were developed for international matches and put into effect in 1930 ; FINA has been the international governing body for the sport since that time. Over the years, both technical and rule changes affected the character of the game. In 1928, Hungarian water polo coach Béla Komjádi invented the `` air pass, '' or `` dry pass '', a technique in which a player directly passes the ball through the air to another player, who receives it without the ball hitting the water. Previously, players would let the ball drop in the water first and then reach out for it, but the dry pass made the offensive game more dynamic, and contributed to Hungarian dominance of water polo for 60 years. In 1936, James R. ( `` Jimmy '' ) Smith, California water polo coach and author of several books on water polo mechanics, developed a water polo ball made with an inflatable bladder and a rubber fabric cover, which improved performance. The previous leather ball absorbed water and became heavier during the game. In 1949, rule changes allowed play to continue uninterrupted after a referee whistled an ordinary foul, speeding up play. In the 1970s, the exclusion foul replaced a point system for major fouls ; players guilty of this foul were excluded for a 1 - minute penalty and their team forced to play with fewer players. Possession of the ball was limited to 45 seconds before a scoring attempt. Time of penalties and possession has been reduced since then. The direct shot on goal from the seven ( 7 ) meter line after a free throw was allowed in 1994, and changed to a five - meter shot in 2005. Local rule variations United States In 2006, revisions were made to the NFHS 2006 -- 2007 swimming / diving and water polo rulebook ( USWP and NCAA rules still vary ). The four and seven - meter lines were merged to a five - meter line. Under the revised rules, a goalkeeper may use two hands and stand on the bottom of the pool ( if shallow ) until the 5 - meter line, and go beyond the 5 - meter line according to the field rules ( one hand on the ball no standing ), but still not pass the half line. The goalie may strike the ball with a clenched fist, although this is not recommended. New cap rules were also enacted. A goalie cap must now be in quarters alternating red / dark for home and red / white for away. The goalie must be number 1 or 13. For women, a red swim cap must be worn under the goalie cap. A team 's dark swim cap is no longer acceptable as it is hard to distinguish a goalie from field players if official cap is off. Olympic competition Game at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Men 's water polo at the Olympics was the among the first team sports introduced at the 1900 games ( along with cricket, rugby, football ( soccer ), polo ( with horses ), rowing and tug of war ). Women 's water polo became an Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games after political protests from the Australian women 's team. Such protests were rewarded when Australia won the gold medal match against the United States with a `` buzzer - beater '' last - minute goal, taken from outside the seven - meter line. Some of the best ever include Spain 's Manuel Estiarte who played in a record six Olympics and led in scoring for four of them. Dezső Gyarmati of Hungary won water polo medals at five successive Olympic Games ( gold 1952, 1956, 1964 ; silver 1948 ; bronze 1960 ), a record in water polo. Another major figure in the sport was Tamás Faragó, who led Hungary to Olympic Medals in 1972, 1976 and 1980. The play of American Terry Schroeder led the United States to its first Olympic silver medals in 1984 and 1988. Main article : Blood In The Water match The most famous water polo match in history is probably the 1956 Summer Olympics semi-final match between Hungary and the Soviet Union. As the athletes left for the games, the Hungarian revolution began, and the Soviet army crushed the uprising. Many of the Hungarian athletes vowed never to return home, and felt their only means of fighting back was by victory in the pool. The confrontation was the most bloody and violent water polo game in history, in which the pool reputedly turned red from blood. The Hungarians defeated the Soviets 4 -- 0 before the game was called off in the final minute to prevent angry Hungarians in the crowd reacting to Valentin Prokopov punching Ervin Zador 's eye open. The Hungarians went on to win the Olympic gold medal by defeating Yugoslavia 2 -- 1 in the final. Half of the Hungarian Olympic delegation defected after the games. A documentary by Lucy Liu, Freedom 's Fury, premiered in April 2006, recounting the events of the 1956 Hungarian uprising and climaxing with this politicized game. International play Every 2 to 4 years since 1973, a men 's Water Polo World Championship is played together with the World Swimming Championship, under the auspices of FINA. Women 's water polo was added in 1986. A second tournament series, the FINA Water Polo World Cup, has been held every other year since 1979. In 2002, FINA organized the sport 's first international league, the FINA Water Polo World League, in which the best national teams compete against one another in an annual season format with nearly half a million dollar purse. Internationally, the biggest water polo competition in the world is played in the Netherlands. Prince William of Wales was the captain of his collegiate water polo team at St Andrew 's University, Scotland. The annual Varsity Match between Oxford and Cambridge Universities is the sport 's longest running rivalry, first played in 1891. Results of the major international championships See also : Best results of countries at major water polo competitions Olympic Games Main article : Water polo at the Summer Olympics Olympic medals in men 's water polo Games Gold Silver Bronze 1900 Paris Great Britain Belgium France ( 1 ) France ( 2 ) 1904 St. Louis United States United States United States 1908 London Great Britain Belgium Sweden 1912 Stockholm Great Britain Sweden Belgium 1920 Antwerp Great Britain Belgium Sweden 1924 Paris France Belgium United States 1928 Amsterdam Germany Hungary France 1932 Los Angeles Hungary Germany United States 1936 Berlin Hungary Germany Belgium 1948 London Italy Hungary Netherlands 1952 Helsinki Hungary Yugoslavia Italy 1956 Melbourne Hungary Yugoslavia Soviet Union 1960 Rome Italy Soviet Union Hungary 1964 Tokyo Hungary Yugoslavia Soviet Union 1968 Mexico City Yugoslavia Soviet Union Hungary 1972 Munich Soviet Union Hungary United States 1976 Montreal Hungary Italy Netherlands 1980 Moscow Soviet Union Yugoslavia Hungary 1984 Los Angeles Yugoslavia United States West Germany 1988 Seoul Yugoslavia United States Soviet Union 1992 Barcelona Italy Spain Unified Team 1996 Atlanta Spain Croatia Italy 2000 Sydney Hungary Russia Yugoslavia 2004 Athens Hungary Serbia and Montenegro Russia 2008 Beijing Hungary United States Serbia 2012 London Croatia Italy Serbia 2016 Rio de Janeiro Serbia Croatia Italy Olympic medals in women 's water polo Games Gold Silver Bronze 2000 Sydney Australia United States Russia 2004 Athens Italy Greece United States 2008 Beijing Netherlands United States Australia 2012 London United States Spain Australia 2016 Rio de Janeiro United States Italy Russia Championships organized by the Federation Internationale de Natation ( FINA ) I. FINA World Aquatics Championships Main article : FINA World Aquatics Championships Men ( Source : FINA Men 's Water Polo Records ) Women ( Source : FINA Women 's Water Polo Records ) Year and City Gold Silver Bronze 1973 Belgrade, Yugoslavia Hungary Soviet Union Yugoslavia 1975 Cali, Colombia Soviet Union Hungary Italy 1978 Berlin, Germany Italy Hungary Yugoslavia 1982 Guayaquil, Ecuador Soviet Union Hungary Germany 1986 Madrid, Spain Yugoslavia Italy Soviet Union 1991 Perth, Australia Yugoslavia Spain Hungary 1994 Rome, Italy Italy Spain Russia 1998 Perth, Australia Spain Hungary FR Yugoslavia 2001 Fukuoka, Japan Spain FR Yugoslavia Russia 2003 Barcelona, Spain Hungary Italy Serbia and Montenegro 2005 Montreal, Canada Serbia and Montenegro Hungary Greece 2007 Melbourne Croatia Hungary Spain 2009 Rome, Italy Serbia Spain Croatia 2011 Shanghai, China Italy Serbia Croatia 2013 Barcelona, Spain Hungary Montenegro Croatia 2015 Kazan, Russia Serbia Croatia Greece 2017 Budapest, Hungary Croatia Hungary Serbia Year and City Gold Silver Bronze 1986 Madrid, Spain Australia Netherlands United States 1991 Perth, Australia Netherlands Canada United States 1994 Rome, Italy Hungary Netherlands Italy 1998 Perth, Western Australia Italy Netherlands Australia 2001 Fukuoka, Japan Italy Hungary Canada 2003 Barcelona, Spain United States Italy Russia 2005 Montreal, Canada Hungary United States Canada 2007 Melbourne United States Australia Russia 2009 Rome, Italy United States Australia Russia 2011 Shanghai, China Greece China Russia 2013 Barcelona, Spain Spain Australia Hungary 2015 Kazan, Russia United States Netherlands Italy II. FINA Water Polo World Cup Main article : FINA Water Polo World Cup Men ( Source : FINA Men 's Water Polo Records ) Year and City Gold Silver Bronze 1979 Belgrade, Yugoslavia Hungary United States Yugoslavia 1981 Long Beach, California Soviet Union Yugoslavia Cuba 1983 Malibu, California Soviet Union Germany Italy 1985 Duisburg, Germany Germany United States Spain 1987 Thessaloniki, Greece Yugoslavia Soviet Union Germany 1989 Berlin Yugoslavia Italy Hungary 1991 Barcelona, Spain United States Yugoslavia Spain 1993 Athens, Greece Italy Hungary Australia 1995 Atlanta, Georgia Hungary Italy Russia 1997 Athens, Greece United States Greece Hungary 1999 Sydney Hungary Italy Spain 2002 Belgrade, Serbia Russia Hungary FR Yugoslavia 2006 Budapest, Hungary Serbia and Montenegro Hungary Spain 2010 Oradea, Romania Serbia Croatia Spain 2014 Almaty, Kazakhstan Serbia Hungary Croatia Women ( Source : FINA Women 's Water Polo Records ) Year and City Gold Silver Bronze 1979 Merced, California United States Netherlands Australia 1980 Breda, Netherlands Netherlands United States Canada 1981 Brisbane, Australia Canada Netherlands Australia 1983 Sainte - Foy, Quebec, Canada Netherlands United States Australia 1984 Irvine, California Australia United States Netherlands 1988 Christchurch, New Zealand Netherlands Hungary Canada 1989 Eindhoven, Netherlands Netherlands United States Hungary 1991 Long Beach, California Netherlands Australia United States 1993 Catania, Italy Netherlands Italy Hungary 1995 Sydney Australia Netherlands Hungary 1997 Nancy, France Netherlands Russia Australia 1999 Winnipeg, Canada Netherlands Australia Italy 2002 Perth, Western Australia Hungary United States Canada 2006 Tianjin, China Australia Italy Russia 2010 Christchurch, New Zealand United States Australia China 2014 Khanty - Mansiysk, Russia United States Australia Spain III. FINA Water Polo World League Main article : FINA Water Polo World League Men Year and City Gold Silver Bronze 2002 Patras, Greece Russia Spain Hungary 2003 New York Hungary Italy United States 2004 Long Beach, California Hungary Serbia and Montenegro Greece 2005 Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro Hungary Germany 2006 Athens Serbia and Montenegro Spain Greece 2007 Berlin, Germany Serbia Hungary Australia 2008 Genoa, Italy Serbia United States Australia 2009 Podgorica, Montenegro Montenegro Croatia Serbia 2010 Nis, Serbia Serbia Montenegro Croatia 2011 Firenze, Italy Serbia Italy Croatia 2012 Almaty, Kazakhstan Croatia Spain Italy 2013 Chelyabinsk, Russia Serbia Hungary Montenegro 2014 Dubai, UAE Serbia Hungary Montenegro 2015 Bergamo, Italy Serbia Croatia Brazil Women Year and City Gold Silver Bronze 2004 Long Beach, California United States Hungary Italy 2005 Kirishi, Russia Greece Russia Australia 2006 Cosenza, Italy United States Italy Russia 2007 Montreal, Canada United States Australia Greece 2008 Santa Cruz, Spain Russia United States Australia 2009 Kirishi, Russia United States Canada Australia 2010 La Jolla, United States United States Australia Greece 2011 Tianjin, China United States Italy Australia 2012 Changshu, China United States Australia Greece 2013 Beijing, China China Russia United States 2014 Kunshan, China United States Italia Australia 2015 Shanghai, China United States Australia Netherlands ( Source : FINA ) US colleges and clubs Peter J. Cutino Award Today club water polo is gaining popularity in the United States. Though the majority of domestic club teams are based in California, Florida, Illinois, and Texas, New England and Missouri preparatory high schools also often field teams. Club water polo teams in the United States often compete in national championships such as Junior Olympics, National Club Championships, and the Speedo Cup. Club teams from Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Michigan were entered at the 2005 USWP Junior Olympics. Aniko Pelle ( Hungary ) and Sofia Konoukh ( Russia ) were among the first of an increasing number of international players competing in U.S. collegiate women 's water polo. Because of water polo 's increased popularity globally, the influence of international coaches like USC 's Jovan Vavic from the former Yugoslavia, and the perks of attending an American college, international players are attracted to the premier US colleges. The 2005 Hawaii women 's water polo team, coached by Canadian Michel Roy, has nine international players, the most of any team in the nation. Teams from California dominate at the collegiate level. In the United States, water polo players tend to have prestigious academic backgrounds as well. A number of players, including former USA team captain Wolf Wigo, who retired after Athens 2004, Jacqueline Frank DeLuca, bronze medal Olympic goalie, and international phenom Tony Azevedo attended Stanford University. The sport 's most notable balancing act to date includes Omar Amr, who played on the US National Team while attending Harvard Medical School and recovering from a near career ending knee injury in 2001. College championships In the 2008 NCAA Women 's Water Polo Championship, the UCLA women beat University of Southern California 6 to 3, for their fourth consecutive championship title. In the 2007 Men 's NCAA Finals, the UC Berkeley Golden Bears defended their 2006 title by defeating the No. 1 - ranked USC water polo men, 8 -- 6. The most prestigious individual water polo honor, the Peter J. Cutino Award, was established in 1999 by the San Francisco Olympic Club, and is presented annually to the top American male and female collegiate water polo player. In 2008, Tim Hutten from UC Irvine and Courtney Mathewson from UCLA won the Cutinos. See also Glossary of Water Polo Rules of water polo Dimitrios Diathessopoulos, the father of Greek water polo. Notes Jump up ^ Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th Edition ( 1911 ) : `` Water Polo '' Archived 25 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 August 2006 Jump up ^ Barr, David ( 1981 ). A Guide to Water Polo. Sterling Publishing ( London ). ISBN 0 - 8069 - 9164 - X. Jump up ^ 12th FINA World Championship 2007 : Classroom Resource Retrieved 20 September 2007 Jump up ^ polo. ( n.d. ). Dictionary.com Unabridged ( v 1.1 ). Retrieved 20 September 2007, from Dictionary.com website Jump up ^ Pro Water Polo.com : History and Development of Water Polo, by Yiannis Giannouris Retrieved 4 September 2006 Jump up ^ Tracie Egan ( 1 August 2004 ). Water Polo : Rules, Tips, Strategy, and Safety. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 11 --. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4042 - 0186 - 6. Retrieved 24 August 2012. Jump up ^ USA Water Polo : History of Water Polo Retrieved 4 September 2006 Jump up ^ International Swimming Hall of Fame : Bela Komjadi Jump up ^ International Olympic Committee Water Polo Site Jump up ^ International Olympic Committee Athlete Profile : Deszo Gyarmati Jump up ^ Tamas Farago Biography at International Swimming Hall of Fame Jump up ^ Terry Schroeder Biography at International Swimming Hall of Fame Jump up ^ Oxford - Cambridge Water Polo : Varsity Match History Jump up ^ US Olympic Team Biography of Omar Amr Further reading Charroin, Pascal ( 1998 ). L'eau et la balle : Une histoire du water - polo ( in French ). Harmattan. p. 248 pages. ISBN 2 - 7384 - 6397 - 5. Norris ( Ed. ), Jim ( April 1990 ). The World Encyclopedia of Water Polo by James Roy Smith. Olive Press. p. 513 pages. ISBN 0 - 933380 - 05 - 4. CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list ( link ) Philipps, Wolfgang ( 2015 ). `` Aquatic football ``, `` aquatic polo ``, `` water - polo ``... Grundzüge der Geschichte des Wasserballs in Großbritannien und Hannover ( 1870 bis 1933 ) ( in German ). In : Christian Becker et al. ( eds. ) : `` Als der Sport nach Hannover kam ``. Geschichte und Rezeption eines Kulturtransfers zwischen England und Norddeutschland vom 18. bis zum 20. Jahrhundert. Lit - Verlag. p. 224 pages, ISBN 978 - 3 - 643 - 13152 - 2. pp. 107 -- 135. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to History of water polo. 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Question: when was the first water polo game played
Answer: 1887