Shots fired at youth World Cup water polo women’s game in Brazil

Water polo players briefly left the pool after shots were fired near an under-20 World Cup game in Brazil.

Brazilian police have said there were no injuries after shots were fired near an under-20 World Cup water polo women’s game between China and Canada in the city of Salvador.

China won 12-8 on Sunday – the opening day of the tournament – but footage showed the game being briefly interrupted as players got out of the pool, lay down and took cover by a small barrier after hearing gunshots outside the water polo venue in the Pituba neighbourhood. China led Canada 3-2 at the time.

“The match stopped for about a minute. Our team saw that the police were taking care of it,” Marco Antonio Lemos, head of the Bahia state water sports federation, said in a statement on Monday.

Police said the cause of the shots was a confrontation with an alleged local thief who was outside the venue and tried to escape. No more details were given.

Spectators were told about the incident after the game had resumed.

Brazil is hosting the 16-team tournament for the first time.