THURSDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2025
ELEVATE WATER POLO TAKE SOUTH AFRICAN TALENT TO NEW HEIGHYTS IN EUROPE
Cape Town, Western Cape: Elevate Water Polo’s men’s and women’s under-19 squads have returned home after a memorable European tour that combined world-class training with elite international competition.
The teams spent four intensive days in Barcelona, Spain, training under top BIWPA (Barcelona International Water Polo Academy) coaches before competing in the Next Generation Cup, a tournament known as the “Champions League for youth teams”, where the South Africans faced some of Europe’s strongest up-and-coming talent.
“This experience has been invaluable for our athletes,” said coach Jared Wingate-Pearce. “They’ve had a firsthand look at the global standard and proved they can rise to it.”
Elevate’s women’s under-19s finished fourth out of eight teams after a remarkable undefeated run through the group stage. They kicked off with a commanding 9–4 win over Italy’s SS Lazio, followed by a 7–7 draw with CN Catalunya and a thrilling 8–7 victory over another strong Spanish contender, CN Terrassa, to book a spot in the semifinals.
A valiant effort against CN Sabadell in the semifinal ended in an 8–4 loss, before a hard-fought 6–9 defeat to Israel’s Wingate Academy in the bronze medal game capped off an outstanding overall performance.
Meanwhile, Elevate’s men’s under-19 side finished a proud eighth out of 16 teams. They opened with a 10–5 victory over BCN WP Club, followed by a thrilling 9–9 draw against Spain’s CNAB, the country’s most decorated club. A narrow 9–8 loss to BVSC Zuglo from Hungary rounded off their group stage, earning them a place in the quarterfinals.
There, they faced another Hungarian powerhouse in FTC-Telekom, where they trailed by just one goal with less than two minutes to play before eventually falling 9–5. A nail-biting one-goal loss to Serbia’s VK Sabac in the fifth-place semifinal showed just how fine the margins were at this level. The team’s final encounter, a 6–6 draw with CN Sabadell before losing narrowly in a penalty shootout, capped off a tournament that underlined their growing competitiveness on the international stage.
Competing against leading clubs from Spain, Hungary, Serbia, Italy, and Israel has been a powerful learning experience for Elevate’s young athletes. Both teams showed that South African water polo is developing rapidly and is capable of matching international standards.
“Finishing fourth for the women and eighth for the men in such a high-calibre field is an outstanding result,” said Elevate co-founder Duncan Woods. “We’re immensely proud of our players, coaches, and everyone who made this tour possible, and we look forward to building on these experiences after taking another step closer to realising our ultimate goal of raising the level of water polo in South Africa.”
– ENDS –
Notes to editors:
About BIWPA: Barcelona International Water Polo Academy
The Barcelona International Water Polo Academy (BIWPA) based in Spain, is a leading training institution driven by water polo experts, offering high-performance training programmes and lifetime experiences for teams, coaches, and players worldwide.
About Elevate Water Polo:
Elevate Water Polo are passionate about elevating the game of water polo. Their mission is to grow and improve water polo by making fundamental skills development and competing on the international stage more accessible to players and coaches across South Africa.
FREE TO USE PICTURES WITH CAPTIONS:
Half Time Team Talk- Elevate Coach Delaine Mentoor instructs her players during the half time break during a Game in Barcelona at the Barcelona Water Polo Club at the Next Generation Cup tournament. Lwazi Madi the Elevate Goalkeeper to the left coach looks on (Blue shirt) with Elevate Assistant Coach Hanna Muller (white Tee) also giving instruction.
1- Fired up for their session! Team Elevate warmup at the legendary Montjuïc Pool, the same historic venue that hosted the diving events of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
2- Karabo Mamaregane, right side utility, caught in a defensive block vs Barcelona Water Polo Club at the Next Generation Cup tournament.
3- U19 men’s team celebrating a top 8 finish, knocking out European giants Barceloneta (CNAB).
Photo credit: Supplied