HaBaWaBa is an acronym that stands for Happy Baby Water Ball, words that want to represent the joy of a child when playing the “game with the ball in the water”: fun and games, for us, are the same thing. HaBaWaBa, therefore, is primarily understood to be the game invented by Waterpolo Development, but it is also the universe of people, events and rendezvous that have resulted from it, and that has developed over the years. The mission is unique: to spread the love for waterpolo in the 5 continents, and along with it, the noble values of sport and co-existence.

 

AIMS

1.The ball in the blue water attracts both children who are non-swimmers and those who have learned to swim, avoiding the premature abandonment of pools for other sports.

2.Small spaces and inexpensive equipment justify the budgets of the management of the pool as waterpolo schools can be organized.

3.The water-ball combination for those aged between 6 and 11 years is the only opportunity for water sports to see off the competition from other sports that attract children through play.

4.Involving families means spectators, fans and potential coaches are created.

 

FUN AND ETHICS

HaBaWaBa wants to teach children the true ethical values of sport through a waterpolo tournament in which socialization and respect for opponents are predominant factors and so competition turns  into an encounter between different cultures and ethnicities. Because of that, Waterpolo Development wrote a Code of Ethics, also called “The Passport of Champions”, for the ethic formation of the kids.

In an HaBaWaBa event the kids discover through a friendly waterpolo competition the social values related to Sport as they get familiar with the meaning of teamwork, loyalty, self-sacrifice, work ethic and mental tough- ness; all important to build character. On the other hand the young athletes get to know the moral values related with the Fair play in competition such as honesty, fairness, responsibility, compassion and respect to the opponents, the teammates and the referees; all important values worth to be instilled in children from very young age.

 

HABAWABA RULES

HaBaWaBa rules are based on the simplification of the FINA official Water Polo rules, tailored to meet the needs of the Under 9, the Under 11 and Under 13 year old competitions.

  • Max competition field size: 25 x 15m.
  • Min competition field size: 20 x 10m.
  • Goal Dimensions: 2,15m x 0,75m.
  • The official ball is number 3.
  • 2 periods of 10 minutes with 3 minutes interval in between the two.
  • 6 players (5 + goalkeeper) in the water and 9 reserves. Teams can be composed of all boys, all girls or mixed.
  • Teams of a minimum of 8 players up to a maximum of 15 are also permitted.