Marta Cabanas

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Marta Cabanas
Marta Cabanas in 2024.jpg
Cabanas in 2024
Born1994
NationalitySpanish
OccupationWater polo referee

Marta Cabanas (born 1994) is a Spanish water polo referee, [1] [2] [3] who became the first Spanish and Catalan female referee to officiate at major international competitions under FINA/World Aquatics, including the European Championships, World Championships, and the Olympic Games. [4] [5]

Contents

Early life

She was born and grown up in Madrid and her parents were both international water polo. At young age she practiced in water polo [6] and around 17 she took a refereeing course with the Catalan Swimming Federation, thus transitioning from player to official. [7] .

Refereeing career

She progressed quickly in the national ranks—advancing from category C to A in three years—and by early 2021 joined the LEN international list. In 2022 she was admitted to the FINA/World Aquatics panel earning her distinction as the first female FINA referee from both Catalonia and Spain. [8] [9] She gained her first major appointments at the 2022 European Championships in Split and the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka. [10] [11] She has also refereed high-level club matches in Europe, including men’s LEN Champions League and women’s Euro League contests. [12] . In October 2024 Cabanas officiated in Champions League Women qualification matches. [13]

Olympic Games

In March 2024, the World Water Polo Referee Association selected Cabanas as one of 24 officials for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, thus making her the first female Spanish water polo referee at the Olympics. [14] [15] [16] . At Paris she officiated five women’s tournament matches, notably including the bronze-medal final game between the USA and the Netherlands. [17] [18] [19] [20] .

Challenges

Cabanas has spoken openly about facing discrimination and insults as a female referee, including sexist remarks from spectators, and has emphasized her desire to break barriers and inspire other women to pursue officiating. [21] [22]

References

  1. ↑ "Marta Cabanas". Ràdio Sabadell (in Catalan). Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  2. ↑ Heredia, Sergio (2024-09-28). "Marta Cabanas: "Algunas cosas no las ves"". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  3. ↑ "Marta Cabanas: "és el primer any que hi haurà països participants que podran portar dos àrbitres"". YouTube. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  4. ↑ "Marta CABANAS". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  5. ↑ "More gender equity at water polo competition". World Aquatics. 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  6. ↑ "WATERPOLO – MARTA CABANAS, ÀRBITRA FINA" (in Catalan). Natació.cat. 5 Dec 2022.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. ↑ "Marta Cabanas, àrbitra de referència a Europa" (in Catalan). JordiPress. 16 Mar 2022.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  8. ↑ "WATERPOLO – MARTA CABANAS, ÀRBITRA FINA" (in Catalan). Natació.cat. 5 Dec 2022.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  9. ↑ "Marta Cabanas, àrbitra de referència a Europa" (in Spanish). JordiPress. 16 Mar 2022.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  10. ↑ "Marta Cabanas: "Quan em van dir que aniria als Jocs..."" (in Catalan). Diari de Sabadell. 11 Jul 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  11. ↑ "WATERPOLO – ÀRBITRES CATALANS ALS JOCS OLÍMPICS DE PARÍS" (in Catalan). Natació.cat. 8 May 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  12. ↑ "Marta Cabanas, àrbitra de referència a Europa" (in Spanish). JordiPress. 16 Mar 2022.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  13. ↑ "Champions League Women qualification round Group B referees". World Waterpolo Referee Association. 28 Oct 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  14. ↑ "Una àrbitra sabadellenca als Jocs Olímpics" (in Catalan). Diari de Sabadell. 13 Mar 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. ↑ "Sabadell tindrà una àrbitra als Jocs Olímpics de París" (in Catalan). Ràdio Sabadell. 12 Mar 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  16. ↑ "List of officials for Paris 2024 Olympic Games". World Waterpolo Referee Association. 11 Mar 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  17. ↑ "Marta Cabanas: "Algunas cosas no las ves"" (in Spanish). La Vanguardia. 28 Sep 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  18. ↑ "España se gana una segunda medalla en waterpolo" (in Spanish). AS.com. 10 Aug 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  19. ↑ "Gender equity at water polo competition highlights female referees including Marta Cabanas". World Aquatics. 2023.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  20. ↑ "Marta Cabanas: "arbitar un tercer y cuarto puesto olímpico es como ..."" (in Spanish). Onda Cero. 31 Oct 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  21. ↑ "Marta Cabanas: "He sentido discriminación por ser mujer ..."" (in Spanish). Waterpolista.com.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  22. ↑ "Marta Cabanas, àrbitra de referència a Europa" (in Spanish). JordiPress. 16 Mar 2022.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
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