Water Polo Canada

Water Polo Canada

Sport	Water polo
Jurisdiction	National
Founded	1964
Affiliation	FINA
Headquarters	Ottawa
Location	1084 Kenaston Street
President	Conrad Hadubiak
Men's coach	Pino Porzio
Women's coach	Theocharis Pavlides
Official website
www.waterpolo.ca

Water Polo Canada, officially the Canadian Water Polo Association Inc., is the governing body of the sport of water polo in Canada and is a member of the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA). Water Polo Canada controls all water polo in the country and is responsible for hosting national championships and fielding national teams.^[1] The organization has its headquarters in Ottawa while its men's national team is based in Calgary and its women's national team is based in Montreal.^[2]

History

Water polo has been played in Canada since the early 20th century, and since 1907 Canada has held a national club championship, the Goulden Cup. Until the 1960s, however, only Eastern-Canadian teams participated in the event. In 1964 the Canadian Water Polo Association was officially founded, and had as its first president Frank Medek of Montreal. That year Canada hosted its first truly national club championship, which featured teams from Vancouver, Calgary, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. The tournament, held in Gravenhurst, was won by Toronto. The following year the national championships left the east for the first time and were held in Edmonton. From 1966 to 1976 Dr. John Richardson was president of the Association. During this era Richardson oversaw Canada's participation in two Olympic Games.^[3]

During the 1970s and 1980s water polo in Canada grew significantly and its national team programs expanded. Today, water polo is played in all ten provinces. In 2014 Water Polo Canada founded the National Championship League (NCL), a national domestic league which features 14U, 16U, 19U, and senior categories.

Affiliated organizations

• British Columbia Water Polo Association
• Alberta Water Polo Association
• Water Polo Saskatchewan
• Manitoba Water Polo Association
• Ontario Water Polo Association
• Fédération de waterpolo du Québec
• Water Polo New Brunswick
• Prince Edward Island Water Polo
• Provincial Water Polo Association of Nova Scotia
• Water Polo Newfoundland and Labrador

National Championships

The Canadian water polo senior men's club championship, the Goulden Cup, is one of Canada's oldest amateur sporting events, having been contested since 1907. Water Polo Canada also stages national club championships for senior women (since 1977), junior men (since 1927), junior women (since 1985), 18U men (since 1985), 18U women (since 1987), 16U men (since 1995), and 16U women (since 1995).^[4]

National teams

Canada fielded its first national team in 1963. This squad, coached by Jeno Ats, participated in the 1963 Pan American Games. After Brazil dropped out, Canada was afforded a place in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Coached again by Ats, Canada placed 16th. As host, Canada participated in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Led by Dezső Lemhényi it placed its best-ever 9th. Due to the iron curtain boycott, Canada got a spot in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Coached by Gábor Csepregi, Canada finished 10th. The only Olympic games for which the Canadian men have legitimately qualified were the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Coached by Dragan Jovanović, the squad placed 11th. Canada's men's national team is based at the Repsol Sport Centre in Calgary and is coached by Pino Porzio.

Canada has fielded a women's national team since 1978. The women's squad participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the first to hold a women's water polo competition. At this tournament Canada placed 5th. The squad also participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and placed 7th. Canada's women's national team is based at the Olympic Pool in Montreal and is coached by Theocharis Pavlides.

Canada also fields junior and 18U national teams.

References