Olympic Water Polo Introduction

Water polo is Indoor or outdoor game played with teams of seven, one of them is goalkeeper and other are six ‘outfield’ players and duration of water polo  match consists of four eight-minute periods in pools which vary in size - from 20m by 10m to 30m by 20m. In water polo minimum water depth must be 1.8m (6 feet). Water polo balls are normally yellow and of changeable size and weight for juniors, women and men.

The objective is to score goals in the opponent’s net, which measures 3m wide and 90cm high and sits on top of the water. The winner of the game is the team that scores the most goals.

To keep the speed of the game, each team has just 30 seconds to score before the ball passes to the opponent. Players are not permitted to touch the bottom or side of the pool during a match. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to place both hands on the ball at the same time.

Water Polo Fouls have two categories: ordinary Foul and major Foul. In major foul,  player exclude from team as a temporary, with the player being sent off the field of play for 20 seconds. A player who commits three major fouls in a game is sent off for the rest of the match.

Players put on numbered swim caps with special ear protectors that have the dual role of individual players from each other and preventing serious injury.

The water polo as a team sport introduced in late 19th century England and Scotland, where water sports were a characteristic of county fairs and festivals. Men's water polo was among the first team sports introduced at the modern Olympic Games in 1900.

The rules of water polo were initially developed in the mid-nineteenth century in Great Britain by William Wilson. The modern game start as a form of rugby football played in rivers and lakes in England and Scotland with a ball constructed of Indian rubber. To deal with regular 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 is a regular part of Olympic Games since 1900. A women's water polo tournament was introduced for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The most legendary water polo match in history is possibly the 1956 Summer Olympics semi-final match between Hungary and the Soviet Union. The Hungarians beat the Soviets 4-0 before the game was called off in the final minute to stop angry Hungarians in the crowd reacting to Valentin Prokopov punching Ervin Zador's eye open.

London 2012 Olympic will see Water Polo being contested in Olympic park – water polo Arena from Sunday 29 July to Sunday 12 August. Water Polo fans can get their Olympic Water Polo Tickets from Global Ticket Market. Water PoloTickets are now available for reservation at Global Ticket Market at affordable price. Olympic Games fans should be active fast to guarantee their London Olympic Tickets from Global Ticket Market.