Administrative chaos ahead of the Division 2 Water Polo World Cup has left the sport reeling, with teams announced two months after trials, the men's team revised three times and only one training camp scheduled for a week before departure.

Swimming South Africa's (SSA's) handicapping of water polo has come under renewed scrutiny after multiple revisions to the men's squad with just one month to go before the Division 2 World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup in April in Malta.

"The country's governing body for aquatic sports announced the men's and women's teams on 19 February 2026, listing 14 players and non-travelling reserves (NTRs) - four for the women and six for the men."

However, 15 days later, nearly half of the men's squad was replaced. Four days after that, a third revision of the team was circulated, featuring two additional changes and a reshuffled coaching staff.

With the men's tournament scheduled to take place between 7 and 13 April, this gives the new team just four weeks to prepare.

The instability follows a single poorly attended selection camp held in December last year, and, according to multiple sources, took place without the official selection committee present.

In addition, only one training camp has been scheduled, on 1 April, less than a week before the team competes.

This state of affairs was the norm, said one player, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of repercussion. They described a...