The Split Withdrawal (1980)
31 federations, one thermometer, and the coldest morning in Outdoor history.
On the morning of 2 August 1980, the competition basin at Split measured 22.3 °C. That was 1.7 °C below the Outdoor minimum the Technical Commission had recommended the previous year, a figure that had not yet been written into the rules.
31 federations withdrew their athletes, saying the temperature put the sport's fundamentals at risk: cold water shortens Marco calls, slows Polo responses and, according to a 1979 study cited by the Danish federation, makes evaders 14% more likely to tag themselves on the lane anchors.
The championships went ahead with a reduced field. Bogdan Vrhovac of Yugoslavia won the title, and his final remains the coldest in Outdoor history. The minimum Outdoor water temperature of 24.0 °C was added to the Code the following year.