'Change and Change Now': Urgent Action to Save Water Polo

(ATR) Youth, marketing, improved television and credibility are among key issues the sport must address if it wants to keep its place on Olympic program.

Olympians and aquatics legends gathered to brainstorm ways to save the Olympics’ oldest team sport at the second World Water Polo Conference in Budapest April 26 to 28. The event came nearly one year after the Hungarian capital staged the 2017 aquatics world championships.

The issue of most immediate concern is that the oldest Olympic team sport could lose its place on the program if it doesn’t find ways to extend its popularity beyond Europe. More than 200 delegates heard ideas ranging from clarifying rules to lighting up the nets for goals.

Aquatics president Julio Maglione said the summit is a major step toward securing the sport’s future. But he also called for urgent action to modernize the game.

"We need change and must change now," Maglione said, addressing delegates and media in Budapest.

"We all agree that water polo has all the ingredients to be a success in the water – I believe we have all the tools to modernize the games, improve it, take it to another level and adopt it to the 21st Century.

"Let’s do it without any delays. Water polo has 150-year history, but its future starts now."

Improving the Sport

IOC deputy director general Pere Miro visited the summit, stressing that he came as a "friend of water polo" and not in his IOC capacity.

Miro once played in Spain’s first league alongside legend Manuel Estiarte, the "Messi of water polo".

Miro advised water polo to focus on "credibility, sustainability and youth." He complimented FINA for adding two more countries to the Tokyo 2020 women’s tournament. The women will have 10 while the men will have 12.

"You are in the starting blocks in the perfect position, now you need to run, or to swim in this case, and this evolution should be shown to the world," Miro stated.

Legendary Croatian coach Ratko Rudic said the key to modernizing the sport is presenting dynamic television coverage and clarifying confusing rules.

"We are on a very high level with the world championships in Budapest and 20,000 spectators, but important for us is how to market the game and improve the television," Rudic tells Around the Rings.

"For example (show) half under the water with half out of the water and also (improve) the sounds of the water."

Australian Olympian Aaron Younger noted: "We need to focus on better marketing rather than changing our sport because I think we have a really good product."

NBC Olympics vice-president of programming Peter Diamond’s advice included stopping the whistles, which he called confusing, miking the referees and lighting up nets when goals are scored.

Time to Take Action

FINA VP Dale Neuburger said there’s never been so much agreement on how to make water polo more universal, but "now we need to take action from the top water polo nations to the underdeveloped nations.

"We’ve developed some inertia, now let’s move forward and make it great.

"When president Bach came into office he talked about credibility, sustainability and youth – I think those three with innovation are what we want to take away from this conference."

Written and reported by Brian Pinelliin Budapest

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