South African Water Polo could very well become the governing body of the sport after a vital court ruling.

The breakaway South African Water Polo (SAWP) organisation has won the legal right to exist and could even evolve into the sport's national federation, according to a judgment handed down by the Western Cape Division of the High Court against Swimming South Africa (SSA).

In a strong ruling after an urgent application brought by SSA for a final interdict against SAWP, Judge Judith Cloete found that SSA "does not have an exclusive right in perpetuity to govern or administer the sport of water polo in South Africa".

It's a huge blow for SSA, whose years of well-documented poor governance could be coming to an end - in water polo at least. The court ruling will also come with a heavy bill, estimated to be around R1-million after SSA was ordered to pay costs.

SSA, as the currently recognised national federation for aquatic disciplines including water polo, by both the National Sport and Recreation Act (NSRA) and World Aquatics, sought to prevent SAWP from attempting to administer or govern water polo in South Africa and from interfering in SSA's affairs.

Judge Cloete...