What is Underwater Hockey (UWH)? 甚麼是水底曲棍球?

Originally known as "Octopush" . The game was invented in Great Britain in 1954 to help train divers and British commandos. The sport is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and is governed by the World Underwater Federation (CMAS).

It is now played in more than 40 countries, with an estimated 15,000 participants. New Zealand, Great Britain, France, Turkey, Australia, South Africa and Colombia are the leading underwater hockey nations. 

原名"Octopush"，於 1954 年在英國發明，旨在幫助訓練潛水員和英國突擊隊。

這項運動現已得到國際奧委會認可，並由國際水中運動聯合會（CMAS）管理。

現已推廣至全球 40 多個國家/地區，估計有 約15,000 名參與者。新西蘭、英國、法國、土耳其、澳大利亞、南非和哥倫比亞是領先的水下曲棍球國家。

The world championship was first held in 1980 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 2018's world championships in Quebec drew 17 nations, with powerhouse New Zealand sweeping both the men's and women's elite divisions.

世界錦標賽於1980年首次在加拿大不列顛哥倫比亞省溫哥華舉行。2018 年在魁北克舉行的世界錦標賽吸引了 17 個國家參加，強隊新西蘭橫掃了男子和女子精英賽區。

Underwater hockey made its debut in a multi-sport, international competition this week in the Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games -- a regional, smaller version of the Olympics. Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia all fielded teams.

The SEA Games host gets to pick new sports outside of those usually contested in the Olympic Games to showcase strengths. For the 2019 SEA Games, which officially opened Saturday, the Philippines picked underwater hockey to be showcased, with the strong backing of its regional counterparts.

水下曲棍球在2019年於菲律賓舉行的東南亞運動會上首次亮相，這是一場區域性的、規模較小的奧運會。新加坡、菲律賓、印度尼西亞和馬來西亞都派出了隊伍。

東運會東道主可以選擇奧運會通常競賽項目之外的新項目來展示實力。對於 2019 年東南亞運動會的開幕式，菲律賓選擇了水下曲棍球進行展示，並得到了地區同行的大力支持。