Water basketball is a

water sport Water sports or aquatic sports are sport activities conducted on waterbodies, and can be categorized according to the degree of immersion by the participants. On the water * Boat racing, the use of powerboats to participate in races * Boatin ...

, which mixes the rules of

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

, played in a swimming pool. Teams of five players each must shoot at the goal with a ball within a certain time after gaining possession.

History

In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, people have been playing water basketball (known there as waterbasketbal) since the 1970s. In the Netherlands it was played by people with a handicap. Besides regular tournaments, they also organize a national championship where the best teams compete for the official Dutch Waterbasketbal championship title. In

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

a version of water basketball developed in 1997. Till that time there were played two versions of water basketball. In first one there was a classical basket fixed at edge of the swimming pool. This was not very convenient because player were kicked on the wall of swimming pool and basket was to high for realization of some attractive actions. The second version was using a floating basket, making it very difficult to throw the ball in the basket. Tomaž Slavec and Matjaž Kodek from Kranj, Slovenia developed a special basket (long pillar sunk in the water, with basket on the end at one meter over water level), the ball, and made new playing rules. All disadvantages of the previously described version of water basketball were removed. There is no wall and floating basket problem, the game became very dynamic (as with hockey) because it could be played behind the basket. This game is also played in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

. In

Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...

since 2003 the PVKK team and in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

since 2007 the Budapesti Medúzák team. In

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Water Basketball first started in September 2003 with a demonstration game between two teams made up of Hobart Chargers, Hobart Hurricanes, Tassie Devils football team and the Tassie Tigers cricket team. The sport has been further developed by The Hobart Aquatic Centre to allow for a more recreational and mixed approach to the game. It involves two teams of six players (of which at least three are female) on field (with a maximum of four additional substitutes), who pass the ball down the pool to their goal end, which is a hoop similar to basketball. In 2005, the Italian Federation of Basketball recognized it as a form of

References

External links

Water Basketball TasmaniaWater basketball SloveniaDutch waterbasketballWaterbasketball France
* Water basketball in Hungary
Budapesti Medúzák

Water basketball Italy
Forms of basketball Water sports Team sports {{Basketball-stub