Water Polo Community to discuss future at FINA Conference

After the success of the FINA World Championships 2017, where the water polo final between Hungary and Croatia brought together 8000 fans to the cradle of the sport, FINA is back in Budapest, Hungary.

This week, from April 26-28, the International Water Polo Community gathers in the Magyar capital for the FINA World Water Polo Conference.

Following the World Water Polo Conference in 2014 in Cancun, Mexico, the Water Polo community is uniting once again in Budapest to focus on opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

The proposed Conference Programme will engage the audience with international experts, address the major issues facing Water Polo and identify key opportunities for its global expansion.

The conference is designed to be an open and healthy dialogue about the future development and growth of our sport around the world - all opinions are welcome. There will be multiple opportunities to exchange points of view, with a conference goal of identifying the various areas in need of improvement and agreeing on concrete solutions to address them.

Objectives:

-To review and discuss the current challenges of Water Polo.

-To examine resources and concepts to address our current challenges and professionalize our sport in various areas.

-To agree on recommendations, next steps and definitive action plans.

-To discuss Water Polo rules and competition modernization

-To advance Water Polo by inspiring visionary thinking and innovation.

The conference will hear from a multitude of sport experts performing both inside and outside Water Polo.

From development, media, technical, broadcasting and events, experts will weigh in on what it takes to succeed in each of these areas, helping Water Polo strive for more success in the future.

Over 250 participants, including 163 National Federation delegates, will discuss the future of the oldest Olympic team sport.

The Conference will feature more than 40 speakers who will address 19 different topics.

A key component of the conference will be to discuss the sports' rules and competition formats. Thanks to the extensive and comprehensive programme, the Conference will offer a unique platform to exchange ideas and best practice.

Experts will also weigh in on what it takes to succeed in areas such as development, media, broadcasting and events, helping Water Polo strive for more success in the future, on a global scale.

Key statistics for the conference include:

•More than 250 participants, including experts and FINA Family members (27 from Africa; 26 from Americas; 29 from Asia; 141 from Europe; 7 from Oceania)

•163 national federations' representatives (27 from Africa, 26 from America, 29 from Asia, 73 from Europe, 7 from Oceania)

•Participants hail from 111 different countries (24 countries from Africa, 24 countries from America, 23 countries from Asia, 34 countries from Europe, 6 countries from Oceania)

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