USA Water Polo's Return to Competition Guidelines

Dear Coaches and Club Administrators,
 
The California Department of Public Health (the "Dept. of Public Health") recently released updated guidelines for youth and adult sports (not collegiate or professional sports), opening the way for water polo competition. Also, in February, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced that it is reinstating its waiver of Bylaws 600-605, allowing water polo players to play with their clubs and their high schools in season. These new Dept. of Public Health guidelines apply to all school and community-sponsored programs and privately organized clubs and leagues in California. I am including this information for all of our clubs and coaches nationally as well, since it may be instructive for activities in other states, helpful for clubs considering competition in the Golden State and of assistance in any communications that you may be having with your local authorities.
 
As you know, California has classified water polo as an outdoor high contact sport, placing us in the Moderate (Orange) Tier (based on the level of contact in the sport and the state's current determination of transmission risk).   
 
Under the new guidance, sports in the Orange Tier (like water polo) can be played, even if the county of play is in the purple or red tier, IF the county adjusted case rate is equal to or less than 14 per 100,000 people. (Refer to this map of California to find your county and adjusted case rate, click here.)
 
That said, whether a club, team or athlete elects to return to competition is a decision that the club, team and athlete must make based upon their individual assessment of the risk of COVID infection in their particular area, at a particular point in time and in light of an individual's overall health profile. The fact that the Dept. of Public Health and the CIF have determined to permit water polo competition to resume and competition is resumed in compliance with USA Water Polo's Return to Competition Guidelines  does not mean that there is no risk of contracting the COVID virus during a water polo practice or competition.
 
What does this mean for the return to competition?
Case numbers are currently declining in most areas, so we all need to track trends and thresholds every week. If you are in a county that meets the thresholds above, competitive water polo may resume consistent with Dept. of Public Health regulations with the following requirements:
 

• Informed Consent – Parents/Guardians must sign an informed consent indicating their understanding and acknowledgement of the risks of play. 
• Testing – Players and coaches must be tested weekly, with test results due within 24 hours of the beginning of tournaments or competitive play with other clubs/schools. For information on California testing, click here.
  • Tests may be antigen or PCR.
  • Tests are only required for players 13 years of age or older.  Athletes 12 or younger are not required to be tested.  If more than 50% of the athletes on a team are 12 or younger, the entire team is exempt from the testing requirement. 
• Return to Play Guidelines – Competitions should be conducted in compliance with USA Water Polo's Return to Play Guidelines.

 
Note that if cases continue to decline, more or all restrictions could be removed (such as in Texas). Also, if cases begin to rise, additional restrictions may be imposed or competitive water polo may be discontinued entirely. So again, please keep up to date on the changing regulatory environment.
 
USA Water Polo's Ongoing Efforts
On February 10, I wrote California Governor Newsom a letter asking him to reclassify water polo from the Orange Tier to the Purple Tier, alongside our companion aquatic sport, swimming. My letter referenced the return to play in other states with no known adverse consequences, as well as the scientific evidence developed by experts in the United States and other countries demonstrating that water polo represents an extremely low risk of transmission. You can read my letter here.
 
While the state's new guidance is a step in the right direction, it did not reclassify water polo to the Purple Tier. Yet…
 
USA Water Polo will continue fighting to get our athletes back in the water as soon as possible. We are also hopeful that if we are careful and stick to our procedures, things appear to be opening as case rates decline and vaccinations accelerate. To that end, we are engaging in ongoing conversations with the California Health and Human Services Agency and the California Department of Public Health to make our science-based case to reclassify water polo in a less restrictive tier. We are calling upon former Olympians, ambassadors of our sport and water polo families from the medical and legal fields to help us make our best case to the state of California. As those conversations progress, we will continue to update you.
 
We are trending in the right direction regarding the pandemic, but we must all be vigilant as a sport to ensure that we follow CDC protocols and continue to reduce transmission of the virus. This is especially important with the spring and summer seasons of competition now truly getting underway, including the Olympics and National Junior Olympics. Thank you for your interest and support of our efforts.
 
Polo in Every Pool!

Christopher Ramsey
Chief Executive Officer
USA Water Polo