Water Polo in Jeopardy for 2012 Olympics

Water polo is one of eight sports yet to have its funding for 2012 decided.

UK Sport have said that no sport will be cast adrift -but with current funding levels water polo has already been drowned.

Only sports which are ‘competitive’ will have a place in the Games but how can a team sport achieve the required standard with a budget that does not allow the current improvements in performance to continue?

Water Polo is in a Catch 22 position.  

* In response to this virtually all of 2009 planned men’s events have been cancelled.
* Water Polo was invented in Great Britain in 1870 and was the first team event in the Modern Olympics.  Britain is after Hungary the second most successful team in Olympic Water Polo history.
* Since the inception of the Modern Games only one host nation (Finland in 1952) has failed to enter a team. It would be very sad if the nation which invented the game failed to provide teams in 2012.
* The Olympic Games has never been a competition but a festival of sport.  The final medal table is only one aspect of a successful games.  
* As a team sport there are only two sets of medals available - men's and women's.  Thus it is not seen to offer "value for money".

This is of course totally contrary to the Olympic Creed which reads:-

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

The High Performance Centre in Manchester was achieved with the benefit of UK Sport funding and yet after only 2 years in place its continuance is in jeopardy.  The loss of funding affects not only the national squads but water polo as a whole particularly the continuation of ASA sponsored events some of which we understand sit within the high performance budget.

The difficulties that our sport faces at every level are well known.  For example, water polo players can only train during unsociable hours when the facilities are not needed by the public often in pools unsuitable for our game.  In addition, the cost of hiring pools is often prohibitive.  Still our community is growing after a period of decline partly due to recent initiatives helped by UK Sport funding.  The increasing success of the men’s and women’s water polo leagues is there for all to see.  The progress of Mini Polo, Regional Training Centres and the recently established University Polo League are further evidence of a growing

(Taken from the Friends of Water Polo site)

Sign the petition at
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/WaterPolo2012/

Join the facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54651633956#/group.php?gid=43892163929



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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
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