|
|
Tuesday, September 19
Water Polo Fan Guide
|
IN THE CROSSHAIRS |
|
ESPN.com puts Olympic water polo In the Crosshairs with our interactive fan guide feature. Check out each sport's fan guide for more In the Crosshairs looks at the Olympic sports.
Water Polo in the Crosshairs
|
Women's competition dates: Sept. 16-23
Men's competition dates: Sept. 23-Oct. 1
Venues: Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre, Sydney International Aquatic Centre
The outlook
A new medal means a new chance for gold for the United
States. Women's water polo debuts at the Olympics with the United
States one of the favorites in the six-team field. The Americans
will be led by Coralie Simmons, Brenda Villa and Maureen O'Toole,
considered by some the sport's greatest female player ever. In
July, the United States went 6-0 at the Holiday Cup, which featured
Olympic qualifiers Canada, Australia, Russia, Kazakstan and the
Netherlands, the defending world champion.
The U.S. men, called a medal contender by coach John Varges,
will have a more difficult time. Their side of the draw includes
Hungary, which has won six golds, as well as medal favorites
Yugoslavia and Croatia. Australia and Italy are among the powers in
the other half of the 12-team tournament. The American men are led
by Chris Humbert, Tony Azevedo and Dan Hackett.
The finer points
Format: Each match is split into four seven-minute quarters. If a player is fouled within 4 meters of the goal, his team is awarded a penalty throw from 4 meters. In the round-robin tournament, teams receive 2 points for a win and 1 point for a tie. Preliminary games may end in a tie. Quarterfinal through final round matches use overtime if necessary to determine a winner. Overtime is sudden death.
The pool: The water must be at least 5 feet 11 inches deep, and the distance between goal lines is a little less than 100 feet. The width is 65 feet 7 inches.
Penalties: Minor offenses (such as pushing, punching the ball, playing the ball with both hands or wasting time) result in a free throw being awarded to the opposing team. Major offenses (such as kicking or striking an opponent, holding, sinking and unwarranted brutality) result in a free throw and the exclusion of the guilty player from the pool for 20 seconds or until a goal is scored.
Olympic debut: Women will field six teams for their first Olympic appearance. After a round-robin tournament, the top four teams will advance to the semifinals. The men will field 12 teams in pool play with the top four advancing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
|  | |
|
