COMMON GROUND: Breakthrough as Swimming SA and SA Water Polo explore partnership model

After months of bitter public disputes, South Africa Water Polo (SAWP) and Swimming South Africa (SSA) are now openly discussing a governance model that would allow them to work together.

Following months of public disputes and an increasingly fractured water polo community, Swimming South Africa (SSA) and South Africa Water Polo (SAWP) have officially held a formal meeting regarding the future structure and governance of water polo in South Africa.

This is according to SSA in a statement issued on 1 June. The meeting was held on 28 May between representatives of the two bodies in an effort to work collectively towards unifying the sport.

“The meeting highlighted the shared commitment of both parties to place athletes at the centre of all future developments and to work collectively towards unifying the sport of water polo in SA,” the statement read.

SAWP echoed the sentiment in its own statement, issued on 2 June, confirming that the meeting had been “constructive”.

“The discussions were positive and focused on the Memorandum of Understanding SAWP had submitted to SSA, to identify a sustainable framework that serves the best interests of athletes, coaches, officials, clubs and the broader water polo community,” SAWP’s statement read.

At the centre of the discussions was how water polo in SA should be run and structured. Currently, SSA remains the recognised federation under World Aquatics, and the only body able to select national teams and award colours.

SAWP has consistently maintained that the body does not seek to replace SSA, but rather to work alongside it in “peaceful coexistence”. The alternative body affirmed this stance once again in the meeting.

“South African Water Polo reaffirmed its recognition that there can only be one nationally recognised federation affiliated to World Aquatics and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee,” said SSA’s statement.

However, SA’s national aquatics body operates five primary aquatics disciplines – swimming, open water swimming, water polo, diving and artistic swimming – and SAWP argued that water polo had unique needs that required a specialised administration.

The current model under SSA has struggled with administration, transformation and elite preparation.

SAWP expanded on SSA’s statement, stating that SAWP proposed a formal partnership model in which SSA remained the recognised national federation, but delegated almost all operational responsibility for water polo to SAWP.

“The discussions centred on a model in which SAWP would continue to manage and operate the sport of