Underwater hockey is also regarded as the Octopush, originated in the 1950s by the British Navy. The sport was invented to keep the navy soldiers in shape and fit and improve the efficiency under deep water.
It is a contact sport which is played between two teams to manoeuvre the hockey puck with the hockey stick or pusher at the bottom of a swimming pool.
The Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) is the international governing body of underwater hockey. The players require a diving mask, snorkels, playing stick, ear protector, fins, swimsuit, gloves and puck for the play.
Underwater Hockey is a team sport, played between two teams with ten players each side where only six players from each team participate. The players have to hit the hockey puck and touch the wall present above the goal. They usually follow a 3-3 format where 3 players play as offensive players and 3 as defensive players. The team, with maximum scores at the end, wins the match. All the players have to be underwater until there is a break or foul declared by the referee.
History of Underwater Hockey
The underwater hockey holds its roots from the United Kingdom, where it was invented in the year of 1954 by Alan Blake. The same year, the first set of official rules was tested in a two on two games. By early 1955, the first Octopush competitions were organized between the Southsea, Bournemouth and Brighton. The Southsea team won the game.
By 1950, the sport expanded its wings into Durban, South Africa with the association of the Durban Undersea Club. The first-ever games were played by the club member of Max Doveton in the pool. In 1962, the sport was introduced in Canada in America by Norm Leibeck.
Ten years later, with the increasing popularity, the Underwater Hockey Association of British Columbia (UHABC) was founded with the British Columbian Government. In 1975, the first Australian Underwater Hockey Championships were organized in the Margaret River. By 1981, the women's event was also added to the championship's category.
In the late 1970s, the sport was introduced in the Philippines, and hence it started spreading in Asia. In 1990, with increasing participation, a junior category was also introduced.
