The schedule of the FINA Water Polo World League, which will have its first edition in 2002, was officially approved in Fukuoka with the occasion of the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships.

This new event in the FINA calendar will enhance the promotion and popularity of water polo thanks to the participation of eight of the best teams in the world (six from Europe and two from America).

The first edition of the FINA Water Polo World League will take place from June 29 to July 28, 2002 for the preliminary phase and from August 1-4, 2002 for the Super Final. Athens (GRE) will host this last and decisive stage of the competition.

Competition formula:
On the preliminary round, the 8 teams distributed in 2 groups play a home-away round robin tournament in which there will be 3 rounds home and 3 rounds away, two games each time against the same opponent (a total of 12 games per team).

For further information, please contact:
Federation Internationale De Natation Amateur (FINA)
Press and Communications
Tel: +41 21 310 47 10
E-mail: fina.press@bluewin.ch