Sports
Water Polo
by Diego Andaluz Dias
Water polo is believed to have
originated during the days of the Raj in the second half of
the 19th century like a aquatic version of land polo, which
is played on horseback. Early versions were called
“water soccer”, “aquatic handball” and
“water baseball”.
The first game was played in
Bournemouth, England, in July 1876. The first US team was
organized in Boston in 1888. in the beginning the sport
don’t have rules only after rules are estipulated in
championships.
To attract more spectators to swimming
exhibitions, the London Swimming Association developed a set
of water polo rules for indoor swimming pools in 1870. In
1911, the Federation International de Natation Amateur
(FINA), the international governing body for all amateur
aquatic sports, adopted the Scottish rules for all
international events.
Water polo is now a much faster game
than the rugged version played in the sport's early years.
Underwater T.V. cameras offer for view yet another aspect to
the sport - the hard tackles rarely visible above the water.
European teams have dominated the sport.
The United States is the only non-European team to win
Olympic medals. In addition to the gold won by the NYAC in
1904, the U.S. won silver medals in 1984 and 1988 and bronze
medals in 1924, 1932 and 1972.
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