Water polo is one of the most popular sports in Malta, with the level of clubs being quite high. Maltese Water polo is administered by the

Aquatic Sports Association of Malta The Aquatic Sports Association of Malta is the governing body of swimming, and water polo in Malta. It is affiliated with both LEN, FINA and COMEN. It was founded in 1925. External linksASA Malta official website References Malta ...

, with a respective section dedicated to this sport. Water polo activities are sponsored by Bank of Valletta.

History

Water polo was played in Malta at the turn of the 20th century, and was already a well-contested sport in the 1920s, when

Lord Plumer Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, (13 March 1857 – 16 July 1932) was a senior British Army officer of the First World War. After commanding V Corps at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915, he took command ...

, then

Governor of Malta A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, thought about the possibility of entering a Maltese team in the 1924 Summer Olympics. Eventually Lord Plumer left his post but the Maltese enterprised through the

, then called Amateur Swimmers Association. This was refused by the Dutch organising them on the grounds that Malta was not a country, and after a legal battle ensued for Malta to be able to accede, Malta entered the 1928 Summer Olympics. It is worth noting that this process also led to the creation of the

Malta Olympic Committee Maltese Olympic Committee ( mt, Kumitat Olimpiku Malti) is the National Olympic Committee representing Malta. It is also the governing body responsible for Malta's representation at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, European Games, Mediterrane ...

Clubs

Previously there were much more teams, and there was even a league system specific to Gozo only. Currently the clubs are:

Domestic League

The Maltese Water polo league currently features 12 teams in two divisions: *Maltese Waterpolo Premier Division - 6 teams *Maltese Waterpolo First Division - 6 teams

National Team

Malta has qualified for the 2016 Men's European Water Polo Championship and the

2018 Men's European Water Polo Championship The 2018 Men's European Water Polo Championship was held in Barcelona, Spain from 16 to 28 July 2018. Serbia won their fourth consecutive and eighth overall title by defeating Spain in the final. Qualification Sixteen teams will be allowed to ...

References

{{Malta-sport-stub