Canoe Polo Tournament

Canoe polo is a dynamic team sport that combines paddling and ball handling skills with an exciting contact team game. It is played on a rectangular playing pitch, which can be in open water or in a swimming pool. The objective is to score goals by getting the ball into the opponent's net, which is suspended two meters above the water. The game requires excellent teamwork and promotes general kayaking skills as well as a range of other techniques unique to the sport. Canoe polo is played by two teams of five players each, with the ball controlled by hand or paddle. The sport has its origins in Great Britain and has grown to become a competitive discipline of kayaking and a great spectator sport. Canoe Polo also became a world games sport in 2025. The Harbour Festival event is a show tournament run jointly by the Avon Canoe Polo Club and Bristol Canoe Club. Both are very active Bristol based clubs with the former competing in national divisions 1, 2 and 3 and the latter in national division 3. Both also compete in international tournaments. This tournament will be played by teams formed from a mix of players from both clubs.