An extraordinary conference of the Water Polo Federation of Ukraine was held in Lviv, where key challenges and prospects for Ukrainian water polo in 2024 were discussed. President Water Polo Federation of Ukraine Oleksandr Svishchov put forward an initiative to create a working group to develop a strategy for the development of water polo for the next 5 years.

“We must plan the development of water polo for several years ahead, taking into account the difficult situation due to the war. Our goal is to create a roadmap for the development of the sport, to involve all specialists and functionaries in this process. Particular attention should be paid to the development of junior water polo and the expansion of the referee community,” Svischov emphasized .

During the conference, the issues of organizing Ukrainian championships among men, women, juniors and junior girls were also considered. Attention was paid to the problems faced by young athletes, in particular, the transition from junior water polo to adult.

Chairman of the Youth Coaching Council Evgeniy Naumchik presented plans and prospects for the development of children’s and youth water polo in Ukraine at the conference. And international referee Vyacheslav Belevtsov announced the involvement of young referees, aged 18–20, in refereeing matches among juniors, which will contribute to the expansion of the referee community in the country.

Oleksandr Svishchov noted the importance of developing young judges who will be involved in servicing junior competitions.

“We must work on expanding the refereeing community, in particular by training young referees who will first judge junior competitions and then be able to work at adult competitions,” Svischov noted .

Recently, Oleksandr Svishchov also took part in the opening of the All-Ukrainian Water Polo Tournament in Memory of Vitaliy Lisun, which became an important event for Ukrainian sports. Svishchev emphasized that such tournaments contribute to the development of water polo and the preservation of the memory of outstanding sports figures.