Waterpolista reports that during the World League Superfinals this past season, FINA put to the test one of the measures debated at the World Water Polo Conference in Budapest: the connection through referees and delegates in matches.
In past editions of the Women’s World League Super Final held in Kunshan (China), as well as in the men’s held in Budapest and in the recently held FINA Cup, female in Surgut and male in Berlin, the TWPC of FINA put into practice measures discussed at the World Water Polo Conference in Budapest, which was that the referees and one of the delegates had a microphone/headset that allowed them to be connected to each other during the game.
Some countries like the Netherlands and others like Italy and Hungary have intermittently adopted this intercommunication system in their national leagues. It is foreseeable other leagues will do the same.
The use of these devices is not only an indication of the modernization and updating water polo, but they are extremely useful in the specific moments of the match.
Say that, with them, you can avoid the typical game stop in which both members are in the middle of one of the sides of the pool to comment on a particular move and make a consensus decision that generates a bad image of the sport itself. Its use must be punctual to communicate both referees at certain times of the game.
The delegate listens at all times to what both referees say. In the training aspect, for referees who are only starting, can be of real utility during practice matches and training. The truth is that arbitrating with these devices requires a brief adaptation. In the Netherlands, they are customized to fit all the referees.
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