By Andrés Felipe Gallego (1st semester undergraduate Economics
student, level 4 English)
Sports in Colombia are so monotonous. We are only interested
in soccer, and in some cases cycling. Other sports are not common here, and
much less underwater rugby.
Underwater rugby is a German sport created by divers who
used to use their physical capabilities with mini-games. This sport is played
in a pool with a depth of around five meters, and it’s played with a plastic
ball. There are two teams of six players (with another six substitutes) and
they have to score goals by putting the ball into their opponent’s basket. The
team that scores the most goals wins.
It is a contact sport where players need
to have different abilities, like strength, speed, movements, or just
controlling their oxygen consumption. The only equipment the players have is
their swimsuit, goggles, and the snorkel.
Around the world the sport is not conventional, but there
are some leagues in different countries. In Colombia there is just one league
which is divided into two: “A” teams and “promotion” teams.
Through the year
there are around eight tournaments in different cities. The best Colombian UWR
teams are the “Orcas” and “Castores”.
The Castores are Bogota’s team, and they train in the aquatic complex.
Underwater rugby is an open sport that can be played just
for fun, even when the best players also work and study. For people who like
swimming, this is a great way to relax and have fun. We need to start promoting
different sports and cultures, and underwater rugby can be an interesting
option.
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