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Water polo is played in a swimming pool. Two teams of seven players play a water polo match. The home team wears white caps, the visiting team blue caps, and goalies wear red caps with the number "1" in white or blue.
Players pass a round ball by throwing it to one another, and trying to throw, push or carry the ball into a net to score a goal. Each team's goalkeeper tries to stop the ball from going into the net.
The goalkeepers are the only players who can touch the ball with both hands. All the other players can only touch the ball with one hand.
Players must not touch the bottom or sides of the pool
Referees, who run along the side of the pool, make sure that players obey the rules. Players must not splash water at other players, hit other players or punch the ball. When a player breaks a rule it is called a 'foul'. If a player 'fouls' 5 times he or she is sent out of the pool.
In Olympic competition a water polo match is played for four quarters. Each quarter lasts 8 minutes.
Water polo was introduced into Olympic competition for men at the1900 Olympic Games in Paris. Women's water polo was included in the Olympic Games for the first time at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Go here to read about water polo at the London 2012 Olympic Games: http://www.london2012.com/water-polo
If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Thomas, R. & Sydenham, S. Water polo [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au(2003)
Updated April 2012©kidcyber.com.au