This is water polo, and the athletes are about to nearly drown or punch someone in the face. Water polo, officials say, is kind of like the family member you’d want to party with. “The athletes who play water polo are polar opposite compared to swimmers,” U.S. men’s national team member Ben Hallock said. It’s the worst part of practice.”In the Tatsumi Water Polo Centre, the stars either have black eyes or red scratches running from their necks down their arms. This isn’t an exaggeration — the most famous water polo match ever is nicknamed “Blood in the Water.” But there’s more to the sport than brute.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 01, 2021 15:32 UTC