The toughest sport in the world

I came across a very interesting fact about sports and here it is:

1. Water Polo: 44 Points

Often overlooked in discussions, this Olympic sport is officially the toughest sport in the world.

Similar to the land-based handball that was not too far from the list itself, water polo is played, well, in water.

With a lot of kicking and grabbing going on under the surface, and all sorts of sly blows in the water, polo is highly ranked in physicality.  Like ice hockey did for the fact it was on ice, polo receives a boost to skill level, as the game itself is supplemented by the need to not drown during it.

Often overlooked are the speed and strength needed by players as they move through the water, and more importantly the fact that players are not permitted to touch the floor.  

Try going to your local pool and treading water for more than 30 minutes, then imagine playing an intense contact sport in that time, and you will realize why water polo scored so well for endurance.

Often seen as a minority sport, it is hugely popular in eastern Europe, and truly is the toughest sport in the world.

Scoring

Attribute	Rating
Endurance	9
Speed	7
Strength	7
Agility	7
Skill	6
Physicality	8

Water polo beat out nine other top sports, based on the above criteria.  How did the others rank?

10th       Gaelic football

9            Gymnastics

8            Basketball

7            Hurling

6            Football

5            Hockey

4            Rugby

3            Boxing

2            Australian Rules, and

1st         Water polo -- see above.

A big shout-out to daughter and granddaughter, who both play this toughest of tough sport.  

Surprisingly, Ironman, 26 points; soccer, 32 point; and tennis, 32 points only get "honourable mention".  Water polo gets a whopping 44 points!  These three aren't even in the top 10!

I wish girls had been allowed to play "actual sports" when I was at school.  As a swimmer, I would have loved water polo.

Toughest sport in the world