The water polo is a team sport played in pools of two groups of swimmers. Each team has 13 players of which seven are playing and its objective is to send the ball into the opponent's net. The players, except the goalkeeper may only use one hand to the promotion or transfer of the ball which resembles the one of football.
Each race has four seasons of nine minutes actual play. The attack of each team takes 35'. Between periods is a two-minute break to change the groups nets. In case of accident or injury the referee may extend the game for three minutes. If the match finishes with a draw and certainly should be a winner they do a five-minute break followed by two three-minute periods of actual play, which means that the time stops with fouls, penalties and other with breaks of one minute.Whichever team scores will be the winner.
Today, several modifications have been made in this sport. Each game has four periods of 8 minutes, between the 1st and 2nd period is 1 minute break between 2nd and 3rd there is a halftime that last five minutes in which the groups are changing nets and between the 3rd and fourth there is a break of 1 minute. Also, each attack of any group takes 30 seconds.
Goal achieved when the entire ball passes the finishing line situated between the vertical and horizontal beam of the outbreak, provided that it is not launched with a punch and that it has been touched by at least two players except the goalkeeper. Also goals are achieved when an athlete has crossed the finish line of his team with the ball. Winner is the team that gets the most goals. Appropriate colors are white for the finishing line that has to be closer than 30 cm from the edge of the pool, the white line on the kick-off which divides the pool into two equal parts, the red line for the corner that is two meters far from the finishing line and yellow line penalty which is four meters from the finishing line.
On the side of the pool where the judges of goals is being placed two meters away from each corner of a visible colored dot. For the referee should be enough free space to move from one to the other end of one side of the pool, and for the two referees for the nets who are placed at the finishing line. The nets should be white, floating in water, is firmly mounted and not to be bended. They are opened three meters, while the horizontal beam must be 90 cm above the water surface (where the water depth is over 1.5 meters) or 2.40 from the bottom of the pool (where the water depth is less than 1 , 5 meters). The goals are fitted with netting.
The ball has a region of 68 to 71 cm and weighing 400 to 450 grams. It should be round, well bloated and completely waterproof. It is prohibited to cover it with grease or similar material. Swimmers of the two teams must wear different caps, usually blue and white to distinguish and not be confused by the opponents. If a player loses the cap must wait for a break to find or replace it with another. The goalkeeper is the number 1 and the other players are from 2 up to 13. Athletes are wearing swimsuit and it is forbidden to have any objects, and cannot be covered with oil.
