Thousands of visitors coming to WA for 2023 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships and star-studded international tests
Western Australia will host the largest water polo event held in Australia next year alongside an international series featuring the champion United States Olympic women's team.
The youth festival will attract more than 4000 visitors to WA, including competitors, coaches and spectators.
The Australian Youth Water Polo Championships (AYWPC) from January 9 to 19 is for players under the age of 18, offering clubs and schools categories of competition for 12 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under, and 18 and under.
More than 750 games of water polo will be played by up to 200 teams at Claremont's HBF Stadium water polo pools.
The announcement follows Tourism WA's confirmation in 2020 to also support the championships in 2025.
The United States national water polo team is also set to play three men's and three women's 'friendlies' test games against the Australian team as part of the AYWPC.
The US women's team won gold at the most recent Olympic Games in Tokyo while Australia's Aussie Stingers, who won gold in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics, finished fifth.
The US men's team placed sixth at the Olympics with Australia placing ninth.
Perth locals Zoe Aracini, who captains the Aussie Stingers, and fellow Tokyo Olympian George Ford are expected to compete on home ground in the Test Series, alongside fellow Perth athletes John Hedges, Luke Pavillard and Tim Putt.
Previously held as six separate events, the inaugural AYWPC championships held in Brisbane in 2019 combined all four age groups into the event's current form, of a fortnight festival of water polo.