Canoe polo is a fast-driving team sport played in kayaks in swimming pools, rivers or any suitable area of water available.

It requires good paddling and ball-handling skills, combining the dynamics of kayaking with team sports like waterpolo or handball.

The first local club – the Malta Canoe Polo Club – was launched recently and affiliated with the Malta Canoe Federation.

It all started with a group of friends who decided to include a waterpolo ball in order to spice up their kayaking session.

Years later, the club was set up and now sees around 25 active members meeting at the National Pool for the multiple weekly training sessions.

The game is played in two halves of 10 minutes, where two teams of five players battle it out on water. The aim is to hit the ball into a goal, which is suspended above the water at each end of a rectangular ‘playing pitch’.

In the coming days, the Malta Canoe Polo Club will be representing the country at an international canoe polo tournament in The Netherlands.

The tournament will see 48 teams from different countries taking part. The Maltese selection will be playing in Division Four, Group Two against Odysseus Jeugd (Netherlands), University of London B (Britain) and Michiel de Ruyter 7 (Netherlands).

Newcomers interested in joining for the weekly sessions at the National Pool in tal-Qroqq can read more info on www.facebook.com/canoepolomalta.