History of Marco Polo

Marco Polo has been played for well over a century and governed by FIMP since 1931. These are the moments that shaped the sport.

The Great Chlorine Schism of 1968How a 19-hour argument about water temperature split one sport into two.The Peeking Scandal (Osaka, 1994)The 2.1 millimetres that changed officiating forever.The Helsinki Incident (1951)41 seconds on a pool deck, and the birth of the Fish Out of Water rule.The Split Withdrawal (1980)31 federations, one thermometer, and the coldest morning in Outdoor history.Hawk-Ear and the Data AgeHow Marco Polo became the most measured sport on earth.Origins of Marco PoloFrom folk game to federation.The British Double of 2026Two Britons, two titles, one year.

Timeline

1894
Earliest written reference
A schoolmaster's log from a seaside baths records pupils playing “the Venetian calling game”, in which one player swims with closed eyes and calls the explorer's name.
1927
The Vevey Rules
Swimming instructor Émile Brasset publishes the first codified rules: 14 articles, a fixed call-and-response, and the first written ban on peeking.
1931
FIMP founded
Nine national federations meet at Vevey on 14 August 1931 and found the Fédération Internationale de Marco Polo. The first World Championship is held the same week on Lake Geneva.
1936
The Marco Call Standard
Congress sets the first minimum call volume, measured by a referee standing exactly one metre away. Decibel meters would not arrive for another 67 years.
1940
Championships suspended
No World Championships are held between 1940 and 1946.
1951
The Helsinki Incident
A finalist leaves the water for 41 seconds during the Helsinki final, prompting the Fish Out of Water rule and the first re-swum final in FIMP history.
1968
The Great Chlorine Schism
At the Congress of Mexico City, delegates split the sport into separate Indoor and Outdoor World Championships after a 19-hour debate over water temperature.
1971
27.4 °C adopted
The Indoor competition temperature is fixed at 27.4 °C ± 0.2 °C, a figure that has not changed since.
1974
The Call Archive begins
Officials start recording every Marco call on paper Call Sheets. These records are the start of the FIMP Call Archive.
1980
The Split withdrawal
31 federations withdraw from the Outdoor World Championships at Split after the water measures 22.3 °C on the morning of the opening heats.
1987
Ocular Integrity Judges
Specialist officials are introduced to watch for eyelid separation. Each judge is responsible for no more than two athletes.
1994
The Peeking Scandal
The Indoor title in Osaka is reassigned after slow-motion review shows the original winner's eyelids separated by 2.1 mm during the fifth chukka.
2003
Electronic measurement
Pressure-plate microphones and electronic timing make Polo Response Latency and call volume official statistics.
2011
Hawk-Ear
The Hawk-Ear acoustic tracking system (32 hydrophones and 64 poolside microphones) debuts at the Outdoor World Championships in Gothenburg.
2016
The 600 ms Polo window
Congress rules that a “Polo” must begin within 0.6 seconds of the end of the “Marco”.
2020
Championships cancelled
Both World Championships are cancelled. The Archive records zero calls for the only time since 1974.
2023
Fingertip Wrinkle Index
Capacitive gloves begin measuring fingertip wrinkling as a fatigue marker. The Wrinkle Index is published live for the first time.
2026
British double
Aaron Warburton wins the Indoor World Championship in Rotterdam and Jonathon Couriard wins the Outdoor World Championship in Cagliari, the first time one nation has held both titles in the same year since the 1968 split.