Kazakh Water Sports Fed SG appointed Head of World Water Polo
The 17th FINA World Water Sports Championships wrapped up in Budapest. 2,500 athletes from 180 countries were competing for 76 sets of medals over the last seventeen days of competitions in the capital of Hungary.
However, the 2017 World Championships was not limited to sports rivalry alone. One of the main events of the world championships in Budapest was the FINA General Congress, during which 180 member countries of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) decided upon the further development of water sports for the next Olympic cycle in 2017-2021. There, they elected the President of the international federation and the members of the FINA's supreme governing body, the Bureau, and established new composition of technical committees for 6 sports in charge of rulemaking and other development issues.
Secretary General of the National Federation Andrey Kryukov, who is also the Vice-President of the Asia Swimming Federation (AASF), was re-elected to the supreme governing body, the Bureau. At the first Bureau session, Andrey Kryukov was unanimously elected the Head of the World Water Polo. Alan Balfanbayev, Member of the Executive Committee of the Kazakh Water Sports Federation, joined the Water Polo Technical Committee, while the Honored Water Polo Coach of Kazakhstan, Sergey Drozdov, joined the FINA Coaches Commission.
"The election of our Kazakh counterparts to the FINA's working bodies and the appointment of Andrey Kryukov for the top position of the Head of the World Water Polo, directly responsible for water polo strategic development and operation around the world, is undoubtedly an expression of FINA's full confidence in the Kazakh sports community and recognition of the merits of the national federation in developing water sports. Moreover, these achievements are the result of the effective and long-term partnership between the Federation of Water Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the International Swimming Federation, FINA," said FINA President Julio Maglione.
According to the FINA's new water polo head, in the nearest time it is necessary to focus on developing reforms and preparing recommendations for improving the management of the sport expanding the sport geography. It should be noted that the water polo is the first competitive sport admitted to the Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin in 1900.
By the end of 2017, the International Swimming Federation FINA has scheduled a special working water polo conference to design improvement measures for this Olympic sport for the coming years.