Like those jeans in the ad, if they were any tougher they'd rust. Sure, they toss it around a bit. But only when they're not kicking, pulling, gouging and whacking the living daylights out of each other - mostly under the water, where it's difficult to see. That's what happened when Hungary and Russia waged battle in Melbourne in 1956. It did not help, of course, that Soviet troops had just invaded Budapest.
Water polo has a period called ''dead time''.
This, officials insist, has nothing to do with fatalities but refers to the time that elapses between a foul and the restart of the clock. Still, you wonder. Especially after Australia's women almost had the swimsuits ripped from their bodies in one match in the Olympic pool. These women are not just weightlifters who can swim. Many are part-time models.