Canoe polo
Canoe polo is a competitive ball sport played on water, in a defined "field", between two teams of 5 players, each in a
kayak. The object of the game is to get the ball into the opponent's goal , the team scoring the most goals in a set time being the winner.
The game is played in many countries on all continents, for recreation and serious sport. The sport has World Championships every 2 years. Internationally the sport is organised by the Canoe Polo committee of the International Canoe Federation, as one of the disciplines of the sport of canoeing. In 2005 Canoe Polo was contested at the
World Games in Duisberg Germany under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee.
Encyclopedia
Canoe polo is a competitive ball sport played on water, in a defined "field", between two teams of 5 players, each in a
kayak. The object of the game is to get the ball into the opponent's goal , the team scoring the most goals in a set time being the winner.
The game is played in many countries on all continents, for recreation and serious sport. The sport has World Championships every 2 years. Internationally the sport is organised by the Canoe Polo committee of the International Canoe Federation, as one of the disciplines of the sport of canoeing. In 2005 Canoe Polo was contested at the
World Games in Duisberg Germany under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee.
The game is often described as a combination of
water polo,
basketball and
kayaking. It is fast and aggressive, but relatively injury free. The tactics and playing of the game are not unlike basketball or water polo but with the added complexity of the boats, which make excellent "shields" for the ball.
The ball, a
waterpolo ball, is passed from hand to hand among the players, with some use of the paddle on the ball also allowed. A player can be tackled by being pushed over and can only hold the ball for a maximum of five seconds. Players can 'dribble' the ball by throwing it ahead of themselves or sideways into the water. Most of the rules concern the safety of the players involved. Penalties include goal- and sideline throws, free shots, goal penalty shots, and green, yellow or red cards.
Canoe polo is played either indoors in swimming pools or outdoors on a "field" which should meassure 35 metres by 23 metres. The edges of the pitch are marked by the sides of the pool or by floating ropes .
There are two referees and they are on foot rather than in boats. The score is kept by the scorekeeper and the timekeeper monitors the playing time and sending-off times. The goal lines are monitored by 2 line judges.
The goals are a frame with a net, suspended 2 metres above the water. A player, acting as goalie, defends the goal with their paddle by sticking it up vertically, special rules concern the goalie, such as: the attacking team not being able to interfere with or jostle him.
The game is officially played as a 20 minute game consisting of two 10 minute halves. The teams swap ends at half-time. Each half begins with a "charge" where each team lines up against its goal-line and the ball is thrown into the middle of the pitch by the referee. One player from each team sprints to win possession of the ball.
See also
External links
Major International / Global Canoe Polo Websites
- , Global community of canoe polo participants - discussion, information etc
- , a wiki for canoe polo
- , long-lived popular website dealing with all aspects of International and UK canoe polo
- , The British Canoe Union Canoe Polo Committee's website
- , High Quality Photographs of Canoe Polo
Australia
Canada
France
- , Canoe-Polo WebSite & Forum, French Community of Canoe-Polo, National & International Results, Large collection of Pictures, The Nr 1 in France for Canoe-Polo
Ireland
Italy
Germany
- with a list of clubs and contact details
New Zealand
The Netherlands
Spain
Great Britain
- , the official page of British Canoe Polo.
- , Organisers of the Merseyside International Competition.
- , A single game played over 24 hours for charitable purposes.
- , Information regarding BUSA Canoe Polo, an annual canoe polo competition between British Universities.
USA
