The ball’s stunning appearance is not the only attribute that people will notice; the ball has been redesigned from the ground up to enhance play.

Mikasa President and CEO Yuji Saeki said the manufacturer focused on three factors in creating the new official game ball that will be used at all upcoming World Aquatics water polo tournaments: enhancing grip, softening the foam rubber, and ensuring perfect consistency.

Better Grip. Better Longevity. Environmentally Thoughtful.

By taking a ground-up approach in creating the new ball, Mikasa not only enhanced grip by 26 percent in water, but the new ball is also environmentally thoughtful; the new ball has reduced rubber production waste by 99 percent. The latter environmental enhancement came in Mikasa designing a material that no longer needs buffing.

“We have stopped applying the traditional production process of buffing, and we have formulated a new natural foam rubber where we are able to achieve a more stable ball quality,” Saeki said. “By enhancing the ball grip without buffing the surface rubber, we’ve also prolonged the playing life of the ball.

“The enhanced playability of the water polo ball is certain to be appreciated by both professional players and water polo enthusiasts,” Saeki added. “This is – by far – the best water polo ball we’ve ever created.”

Vibrant Japanese-Inspired Ball Design

With the World Aquatics Championships – Fukuoka 2023 on the near horizon, Mikasa enlisted the Graphasel Design Studio to shape the ball’s striking visual appeal. A multi-time winner of the annual Red Dot Design Award, aquatic fans may remember Graphasel’s work creating the visual identity for the 2017 and 2022 editions of the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

“Working to design the new Mikasa water polo ball has been a dream assignment,” said Graphasel CEO Ördögh László. “Coming from Hungary where water polo is our national sport, it's an honour to revamp the graphic design of the classic water polo product.

“Mikasa wanted a vibrant and colourful look for the ball that evoked a Japanese style and to go in a complete departure from the previous ball design. It is also essential for the ball to be clearly visible in the water, in a lit pool, and on TV screens,” Laszlo added. “We worked with professional water polo teams to ensure the design would not distract play. The players were unanimous in their approval, with the new dynamic design especially appealing to the up-and-coming generation of water polo players.