WhatisHaBaWaBa?

HaBaWaBa is an acronym for Happy Baby Water Ball, words that stand for a child’s joy in the “game with the ball in the water”: for us, playing and having fun are the same thing. HaBaWaBa means first of all the game invented by Waterpolo Development, and also the universe of people, events and meetings that grew out of it over the years. The aim is one: to spread the love of water polo across the five continents and, with it, the values of sport and of living together.

HaBaWaBa wants to teach children the true ethical value of sport through events in which socialising and respect for the opponent come first, and competition becomes a meeting between cultures. For this reason Waterpolo Development wrote an ethical code, the Champion Passport, for the children’s education.

Through HaBaWaBa events children meet the values of sport: teamwork, loyalty, sacrifice, work ethic and mental determination, all important for building character. They also meet Fair Play, and values such as honesty, responsibility and respect for opponents, teammates and referees.

The rules of HaBaWaBa come from a simplification of the official water polo rules, adapted for U9, U11 and U13 competitions. In U9 and U11, teams may be boys only, girls only or mixed. In U13 they are boys only.

Maximum field

25 x 15 m

Minimum field

20 x 10 m

Goal

2.15 m x 0.75 m

Ball

Official ball, size 3

Periods

2 periods of 10 minutes, with a 3-minute interval

Players

6 in the water (5 plus the goalkeeper) and 9 substitutes

Teams

From 8 players up to a maximum of 15