Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

The first makeshift water polo contests were played in Britain in the 1860s - the sport may thank its inception to the monotony that spectators found in the competitive swim races of the times. Some horse jockeys with a want for amusement started "Water Derby", using barrels to replace the horses in the water. A new version called "Water Football", with three players aside, enjoyed brief success in 1876. What could be considered the first regular game of Water Polo was played in 1876. The game did not catch on, however. The same year, a more elaborate set of rules were written which were refined by English and Scottish teams. In 1885, the English National Swimming Association officially recognized water polo as a separate sport thereafter requiring games to be played in accordance with one set of rules. Interest in the emerging sport then spread around the world. The dictionary defines water polo as "an aquatic gam