LEN : Changes in youth age championships

[Lambros10]

Changes in waterpolo: new age groups and 13-player squads

The rules of the game will remain the same, but the setting of international matches is changing. Since the beginning of the year only 13 instead of 15 players can be nominated for LEN sanctioned tournaments including all European Championships. Furthermore the age groups of international Youth and Junior competitions are to be reduced by two years each from 18, 19 and 20 years to 16, 17 and 18 years.

So the number of players will now be analogous to FINA and IOC rules, which allow only 13 athletes in total for a complete tournament. Up to the end of last year the situation at LEN Tournaments and European Championships was different; here coaches could select 13 athletes from a 15-player-squad before each single game. This difference was now changed last year, and the European nations did not care much at last year`s LEN Congress in the The Hague, Netherlands, as observers complained. The two additional players had to be paid by the respective federations anyway, now there will be no proper back-up players any more.

The second change will be much more dramatic: FINA has not decided yet, but from 2008 onwards the current age groups of international Youth and Junior competitions are to be reduced by two years each from 18 (continental Youth Championships), 19 (continental Junior Championships) and 20 years (World Junior Championships) to 16, 17 and 18 years. So the gap between 19- and 20-year-old players from the top nations, who are playing as professionals in club teams, is to be reduced, as it is reported. FINA is reported to decide at the upcoming FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

This would mean in practice that the international career of players from the age groups 1989 and 1990 will be over after this years European Youth Championships in Patras, Greece and Gzira, Malta or respective continental tournaments or have to be continued at senior level. In this case the players from the age groups 1991 and 1992 would already be in charge at the 2008 European Junior Championships and Junior Pan American Games etc. So the mens youth waterpolo tournament at the IX European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) to be held 21-28 July 2007 in Belgrade, Serbia will arouse much more interest as originally expected. Here the players will already come of the age group 1991.


Future events and age groups:

2008 European Juniors (age group 1991 and younger)
2009 World Juniors (1991), European Youth (1993)
2010 European Juniors (1993)
2011 World Juniors (1993), European Youth (1995)