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Water polo has been part of the Summer Olympics program since the second games, in 1900. A women's water polo tournament was introduced for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Hungary has been the most successful country in men's tournament, while the United States is the only team to win multiple times at the women's tournament since its introduction. Italy was the first to win both the men's and women's water polo tournaments.

Quick Facts IOC Code, Governing body ...
Water polo at the Summer Olympics
Thumb
IOC CodeWPO
Governing bodyWorld Aquatics
Events2 (men: 1; women: 1)
Summer Olympics

Overall statistics (menwomen)
Champions (menwomen)
Team appearances (menwomen)
Player appearances (menwomen)
Top goalscorers (menwomen)
Goalkeepers (menwomen)
Flag bearers and oath takers
Venues
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Water Polo at the 2024 Olympics (Italy v. Montenegro)
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Water polo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
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History

The history of water polo as a team sport began in mid-19th century England and Scotland, where water sports were a feature of county fairs and festivals.[1][2] Water polo has been included in every Summer Olympic Games as a men's competition sport, except 1896. Women's water polo made its debut in the Summer Olympics in 2000.

Beginnings

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Water polo final at the 1908 London Olympics

Men's water polo was among the first team sports introduced at the modern Olympic Games in 1900.[3] Seven European teams from four countries, including four from the host nation France, took part in the competition. The British team was the inaugural champion.[4]

At the 1904 Summer Olympics, a water polo tournament was contested, three club teams of seven players each entered.[5] A German team tried to enter, but its entry was refused because the players did not play for the same club.[6] The event took place in a pond in Forest Park, the location of both the Olympics and the World's Fair.[7] Previously, the International Olympic Committee and International Swimming Federation (FINA) considered the water polo event at the 1904 Olympics as a demonstration sport.[5] However, in July 2021, after accepting the recommendation of Olympic historian Bill Mallon, the IOC recognized water polo along with several others as an official sport of the 1904 Olympic program.[8] Water polo was not played at the 1906 Olympics.[3]

From 1908 to 1920, the Great Britain men's national water polo team won three consecutive gold medals at the Olympics, becoming the first water polo team to have an Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row).

Hungarian dominance

Hungary men's national water polo team has participated in 22 of 27 Olympic tournaments, with fifteen Olympic medals (nine gold, three silver and three bronze). From 1928 to 1980, the Hungarians won twelve consecutive medals in water polo. Twenty years later, the team won three golds in a row between 2000 and 2008, becoming the second team to have an Olympic winning streak in water polo.

Blood in the Water match

The most famous water polo match in Olympic history often referred to as the Blood in the Water match, was a 1956 Summer Olympics semi-final match between Hungary and the Soviet Union, played in Melbourne on 6 December 1956. As the athletes left for the games, the Hungarian revolution began, and the Soviet army crushed the uprising. The match was bloody and violent. The Hungarians defeated the Soviets 4–0 before the game was called off in the final minute to prevent angry Hungarians in the crowd reacting to Soviet player Valentin Prokopov punching Hungarian player Ervin Zádor. Pictures of Zádor's injuries were published around the world, leading to the "Blood in the Water" moniker.[9]

The Hungarians went on to win the Olympic gold medal by defeating Yugoslavia 2–1 in the final.

Addition of women's program

Women's water polo became an Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Six nations competed in the women's tournament with home team Australia winning the gold medal over the United States.

From 2012 to 2020, the United States women's team won three consecutive gold medals at the Summer Olympics, becoming the first women's water polo team to have an Olympic winning streak.

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Geography

Water polo is now popular in many countries around the world, notably in Europe (particularly in Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Spain), Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States.

As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, 51 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from six continents have sent their water polo teams to the Olympic Games. Men's water polo teams of European NOCs won all 27 official tournaments, while women's teams from Europe, North America and Oceania won all six gold medals. Water polo teams from Africa, Asia and South America have not won an Olympic medal yet.

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Venues

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Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center was used at the 2020 Olympics in water polo.

For the Summer Olympics, there are 34 venues that have been or will be used for water polo.

The Seine in Paris hosted the first water polo competitions at the 1900 Olympics. The Forest Park in St. Louis hosted the water polo events for the 1904 Summer Olympics.

The first water polo venue not located on a river or a lake took place at the 1908 London Olympics. It was not until the 1920 Olympics that a separate venue was created for the aquatic venues. The 1948 Games were the first Olympics in which water polo took place both indoors and in more than one venue. The first separate water polo venue that was not connected to other aquatic venues was at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

The Water Polo Arena of the 2012 London Olympics was the first dedicated water polo venue to be built for an Olympics, the structure was taken down after the games.

  1. France Paris 1900: Seine, Paris
  2. United States St. Louis 1904: Forest Park, St. Louis
  3. United Kingdom London 1908: White City Stadium, White City
  4. Sweden Stockholm 1912: Djurgårdsbrunnsviken, Stockholm
  5. Belgium Antwerp 1920: Stade Nautique d'Antwerp, Antwerp
  6. France Paris 1924: Piscine des Tourelles, Paris
  7. Netherlands Amsterdam 1928: Olympic Sports Park Swim Stadium, Amsterdam
  8. United States Los Angeles 1932: Swimming Stadium, Los Angeles
  9. Germany Berlin 1936: Olympic Swimming Stadium, Berlin
  10. United Kingdom London 1948: Empire Pool (final), Wembley; and Finchley Lido, North Finchley
  11. Finland Helsinki 1952: Swimming Stadium, Helsinki
  12. Australia Melbourne 1956: Swimming/Diving Stadium, Melbourne
  13. Italy Rome 1960: Piscina delle Rose and Stadio Olimpico del Nuoto (final), both in Rome
  14. Japan Tokyo 1964: Tokyo Metropolitan Indoor Swimming Pool, Tokyo
  15. Mexico Mexico City 1968: Francisco Márquez Olympic Pool (final) and University City Swimming Pool, both in Mexico City
  16. West Germany Munich 1972: Dantebad and Schwimmhalle (final), both in Munich
  17. Canada Montreal 1976: Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard and Olympic Pool (final), both in Montreal
  18. Soviet Union Moscow 1980: Swimming Pool - Moscow and Swimming Pool - Olimpiysky (final), both in Moscow
  19. United States Los Angeles 1984: Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool, Malibu, California
  20. South Korea Seoul 1988: Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool, Seoul
  21. Spain Barcelona 1992: Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc and Piscines Bernat Picornell (finals), both in Barcelona
  22. United States Atlanta 1996: Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, Atlanta
  23. Australia Sydney 2000: Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre, Ryde; and Sydney International Aquatic Centre, Sydney
  24. Greece Athens 2004: Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre, Athens
  25. China Beijing 2008: Ying Tung Natatorium, Beijing
  26. United Kingdom London 2012: Water Polo Arena, London
  27. Brazil Rio de Janeiro 2016: Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre and Olympic Aquatics Stadium (finals), Rio de Janeiro
  28. Japan Tokyo 2020: Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center, Tokyo
  29. France Paris 2024: Paris Aquatic Centre and Paris La Défense Arena (finals)
  30. United States Los Angeles 2028: Long Beach Waterfront
  31. Australia Brisbane 2032: Sleeman Centre

Sources:

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Events

Notes
The X indicates that the tournament was held as a full Olympic medal sport.
The bullet () denotes that it was contested as an unofficial sport.
More information Event, Games ...
Event960004081220242832364852566064687276808488929600040812162024Games
Men's tournament X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 29
Women's tournament X X X X X X X 7
Total011111111111111111111112222222
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Rules

Qualification summary

More information Year, M ...
YearMW
1900-1956 No QualificationNo Tournament
1960 1960 Men's Qualification
1964 1964 Men's Qualification
1968 1968 Men's Qualification
1972 1972 Men's Qualification
1976 1976 Men's Qualification
1980 1980 Men's Qualification
1984 1984 Men's Qualification
1988 1988 Men's Qualification
1992 1992 Men's Qualification
1996 1996 Men's Qualification
2000 2000 Men's Qualification2000 Women's Qualification
2004 2004 Men's Qualification2004 Women's Qualification
2008 2008 Men's Qualification2008 Women's Qualification
2012 2012 Men's Qualification2012 Women's Qualification
2016 2016 Men's Qualification2016 Women's Qualification
2020 2020 Men's Qualification2020 Women's Qualification
2024 2024 Men's Qualification2024 Women's Qualification
Total 177
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Qualification

Since 2012, the qualifying process consists of five stages:

  1. The team of the host nation qualifies automatically.
  2. No more than one team qualifies as the top team in the FINA World League.
  3. No more than three teams qualify as the top teams in the World Aquatics Championships.
  4. No more than five teams qualify as the continental Olympic qualification tournament champions.
  5. No more than four teams qualify through a world qualifying tournament, in which the best teams which did not qualify directly from each continent compete for the remaining berths.
More information Stage, Zone ...
Men's qualification
StageZoneTournamentBerths
201220162020
1 Host nation1 (from
Europe)
1 (from
Americas)
1 (from
Asia)
2 World – FINAFINA Water Polo World League11 Steady1 Steady
3 World – FINAWorld Aquatics Championships32 Decrease2 Steady
4 Africa – CANAAfrican Continental Selection00 Steady1 Increase
Americas – UANAPan American Games11 Steady1 Steady
Asia – AASFAsian Water Polo Championship11 Steady1 Steady
Europe – LENEuropean Water Polo Championship01 Increase1 Steady
Oceania – OSAOceanian Continental Selection11 Steady1 Steady
5 World – FINAWorld Qualification Tournament44 Steady3 Decrease
Total12 Steady12 Steady12 Steady
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More information Stage, Zone ...
Women's qualification
StageZoneTournamentBerths
201220162020
1 Host nation1 (from
Europe)
1 (from
Americas)
1 (from
Asia)
2 World – FINAFINA Water Polo World League00 Steady1 Increase
3 World – FINAWorld Aquatics Championships00 Steady1 Increase
4 Africa – CANAAfrican Continental Selection00 Steady1 Increase
Americas – UANAPan American Games10 Decrease1 Increase
Asia – AASFAsian Water Polo Championship11 Steady1 Steady
Europe – LENEuropean Water Polo Championship01 Increase1 Steady
Oceania – OSAOceanian Continental Selection11 Steady1 Steady
5 World – FINAWorld Qualification Tournament44 Steady2 Decrease
Total88 Steady10 Increase
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Players

Eligibility

According to the FINA General Rules,[10] the list below shows the requirements for a player to be eligible to play in international tournaments:

  • "GR 1.1: All competitors shall be registered with their National Federation to be eligible to compete."
  • "GR 2.5: When a competitor or competition official represents his/her country in a competition, he/she shall be a citizen, whether by birth or naturalisation, of the nation he/she represents, provided that a naturalised citizen shall have lived in that country for at least one year prior to that competition. Competitors, who have more than one nationality according to the laws of the respective nations must choose one 'Sport Nationality'. This choice shall be exercised by the first representation of the competitor for one of the countries."
  • "GR 2.6: Any competitor or competition official changing his sport nationality from one national governing body to another must have resided in the territory of and been under the jurisdiction of the latter for at least twelve months prior to his first representation for the country."

Competition format

For both the men's and women's tournaments at the 2020 Olympics (which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic),[11] the competition consists of a round-robin group stage followed by a knockout stage. Teams are placed into two groups, with each team playing each other team in its group once. Teams earn 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. The top four teams in each group advance to the knockout rounds. The knockout rounds are a single-elimination tournament consisting of quarterfinals, semifinals, and the gold and bronze medal matches.

Matches consist of four quarters of eight minutes each. During the knockout rounds, if the score is tied after four quarters (32 minutes), penalty shootouts, which is 5 rounds, plus extra rounds if tied, are used to determine the winner.

More information #, Year ...
Men's tournament
#YearDatesNumber ofCompetition format
TeamsMatches
1 190011–12 August7 teams6 matchesSingle-elimination tournament
2 19045–6 September3 teams Decrease2 matches Decrease
3 190815–22 July4 teams Increase4 matches Increase
4 19127–16 July6 teams Increase10 matches Increase
5 192022–29 August12 teams Increase19 matches IncreaseSingle-elimination tournament with Bergvall system for second- and third-place
6 192413–20 July13 teams Increase19 matches Steady
7 19284–11 August14 teams Increase18 matches DecreaseSingle-elimination tournament with Bergvall system for third place
8 19324–13 August5 teams Decrease6 matches[a] DecreaseRound-robin tournament
9 19368–15 August16 teams Increase40 matches IncreaseRound-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin semi-final pool; round-robin semi-final pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool
10 194828 July – 7 August18 teams Increase40 matches[b] SteadySeries of round-robin elimination pools, followed by round-robin semi-final pools, and then round-robin final pools
11 195225 July – 2 August21 teams Increase56 matches[c] IncreaseSingle-elimination tournament qualifying; round-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin semi-final pool; round-robin semi-final pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool
12 195628 November – 7 December10 teams Decrease29 matches DecreaseRound-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool
13 196025 August – 3 September16 teams Increase40 matches IncreaseRound-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin semi-final pool; round-robin semi-final pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool
14 196411–18 October13 teams Decrease31 matches Decrease
15 196814–26 October15 teams Increase63 matches IncreaseRound-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
16 197227 August – 4 September16 teams Increase59 matches DecreaseRound-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool
17 197618–27 July12 teams Decrease48 matches Decrease
18 198020–29 July12 teams Steady48 matches Steady
19 19841–10 August12 teams Steady42 matches Decrease
20 198821 September – 1 October12 teams Steady42 matches SteadyRound-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
21 19921–9 August12 teams Steady42 matches Steady
22 199620–28 July12 teams Steady48 matches Increase
23 200023 September – 1 October12 teams Steady48 matches Steady
24 200415–29 August12 teams Steady44 matches Decrease
25 200810–24 August12 teams Steady44 matches Steady
26 201229 July – 12 August12 teams Steady42 matches Decrease
27 20166–20 August12 teams Steady42 matches Steady
28 202025 July – 8 August 2021[11]12 teams Steady42 matches Steady
#YearDatesTeamsMatchesCompetition format
Number of
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More information #, Year ...
Women's tournament
#YearDatesNumber ofCompetition format
TeamsMatches
1 200016–23 September6 teams20 matchesRound-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
2 200416–26 August8 teams Increase20 matches Steady
3 200811–21 August8 teams Steady20 matches Steady
4 201230 July – 9 August8 teams Steady24 matches Increase
5 20169–19 August8 teams Steady24 matches Steady
6 202024 July – 7 August 2021[11]10 teams Increase32 matches Increase
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Sources:

Game rules

Maximum number of players per team

More information Maximum number of players, 1900–1904 ...
Men's tournament
Maximum number of players
1900–19041908–19801984–20162020–
In the playing area of the pool during an Olympic match 77 Steady7 Steady7 Steady
During an Olympic match 1111 Steady13 Increase12[12] Decrease
During an Olympic tournament 1111 Steady13 Increase13[12] Steady
per clubper nationper nationper nation
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More information Maximum number of players, 2000–2016 ...
Women's tournament
Maximum number of players
2000–20162020–
In the playing area of the pool during an Olympic match 77 Steady
During an Olympic match 1312[12] Decrease
During an Olympic tournament 1313[12] Steady
per nationper nation
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Sources:

Anti-doping

The FINA follows the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) regulations on performance-enhancing drugs. According to the WADA, a positive in-competition test results in disqualification of the player and a suspension that varies based on the number of offences. When a player tests positive, the rest of their team is subjected to testing; another positive test can result in a disqualification of the entire team.[13][14][15][16]

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Men's tournament

Results summary

More information Year, Hosts ...
Year[5] Hosts Gold medal game Bronze medal game Number of teams
Gold Score Silver Bronze Score 4th place
1900 France
Paris

Great Britain
(Mixed team)
(Osborne Swimming Club)
7–2
Belgium
(Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club)

France (Mixed team)
(Libellule de Paris)

France
(Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #2)
[d] 7
1904 United States
St. Louis
Water polo was a demonstration sport Water polo was a demonstration sport
1908 United Kingdom
London

Great Britain
9–2[e]
Belgium

Sweden
[f]
Netherlands
4
1912 Sweden
Stockholm

Great Britain
8–0
Sweden

Belgium
5–4
Austria
6
1920 Belgium
Antwerp

Great Britain
3–2
Belgium

Sweden
5–0
United States
12
1924 France
Paris

France
3–0
Belgium

United States
3–2
Sweden
13
1928 Netherlands
Amsterdam

Germany
5–2
Hungary

France
8–1
Great Britain
14
1932 United States
Los Angeles

Hungary
Round-robin
Germany

United States
Round-robin
Japan
5
1936 Germany
Berlin

Hungary
Round-robin
Germany

Belgium
Round-robin
France
16
1948 United Kingdom
London

Italy
Round-robin
Hungary

Netherlands
Round-robin
Belgium
18
1952 Finland
Helsinki

Hungary
Round-robin
Yugoslavia

Italy
Round-robin
United States
21
1956 Australia
Melbourne

Hungary
Round-robin
Yugoslavia

Soviet Union
Round-robin
Italy
10
1960 Italy
Rome

Italy
Round-robin
Soviet Union

Hungary
Round-robin
Yugoslavia
16
1964 Japan
Tokyo

Hungary
Round-robin
Yugoslavia

Soviet Union
Round-robin
Italy
13
1968 Mexico
Mexico City

Yugoslavia
13–11 (aet)
Soviet Union

Hungary
9–4
Italy
15
1972 West Germany
Munich

Soviet Union
Round-robin
Hungary

United States
Round-robin
West Germany
16
1976 Canada
Montreal

Hungary
Round-robin
Italy

Netherlands
Round-robin
Romania
12
1980 Soviet Union
Moscow

Soviet Union
Round-robin
Yugoslavia

Hungary
Round-robin
Spain
12
1984 United States
Los Angeles

Yugoslavia
Round-robin
United States

West Germany
Round-robin
Spain
12
1988 South Korea
Seoul

Yugoslavia
9–7 (aet)
United States

Soviet Union
14–13
West Germany
12
1992 Spain
Barcelona

Italy
9–8 (aet)
Spain

Unified Team[g]
8–4
United States
12
1996 United States
Atlanta

Spain
7–5
Croatia

Italy
20–18 (aet)
Hungary
12
2000 Australia
Sydney

Hungary
13–6
Russia

Yugoslavia[h]
8–3
Spain
12
2004 Greece
Athens

Hungary
8–7
Serbia and Montenegro

Russia
6–5
Greece
12
2008 China
Beijing

Hungary
14–10
United States

Serbia
6–4
Montenegro
12
2012 United Kingdom
London

Croatia
8–6
Italy

Serbia
12–11
Montenegro
12
2016 Brazil
Rio

Serbia
11–7
Croatia

Italy
12–10
Montenegro
12
2020 Japan
Tokyo

Serbia
13–10
Greece

Hungary
9–5
Spain
12
2024 France
Paris

Serbia
13–11
Croatia

United States
8–8
(3–0) (ps)

Hungary
12
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Sources:

Confederation statistics

Best performances by tournament

This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation in each tournament.[5] Last updated: 8 August 2021.

Note: italic number in header means unofficial tournament was held.

Legend

  •  1st  – Champions
  •  2nd  – Runners-up
  •  3rd  – Third place
  •  4th  – Fourth place
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
More information Confederation, Africa – CANA ...
Confederation 00 04 08 12 20 24 28 32 36 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24
Africa – CANA 7th10th9th12th15th12th12th
Americas – UANA 4th3rd7th3rd9th10th4th5th7th9th5th3rd7th5th2nd2nd4th7th6th7th2nd8th10th6th3rd
Asia – AASF 4th14th12th21st10th14th11th12th15th12th9th11th9th11th12th11th12th10th11th
Europe – LEN 1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st1st
Oceania – OSA 18th19th9th15th10th12th11th7th5th8th5th8th9th8th7th9th9th8th
Total teams7461213145161821101613151612121212121212121212121212
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Team statistics

More information Rk, Ref ...
Rk Rank Ref Reference p. page pp. pages
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Comprehensive team results by tournament

Note: Results of Olympic qualification tournaments are not included. Numbers refer to the final placing of each team at the respective Games; italic number in header means unofficial tournament was held. Last updated: 11 February 2024.

Legend

  •  1  – Champions
  •  2  – Runners-up
  •  3  – Third place
  •  4  – Fourth place
  •   – Qualified but were not allowed to compete
  •   – Disqualified
  •    – The nation did not participate in the Games
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
  •     – Hosts
  • = – More than one team tied for that rank
  • Team – Defunct team

Abbreviation

  • stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
  • EUA – United Team of Germany
  • FRG – West Germany
  • FRY – FR Yugoslavia
  • GDR – East Germany
  • SCG – Serbia and Montenegro
More information Men's team, Years ...
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More information Men's team, Years ...
Close
More information Men's team, Years ...
Close
More information Men's team, Years ...
Europe – LEN (34 teams)
Men's team[5] 00 04 08 12 20 24 28 32 36 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Years
 Austria 47133
 Belgium (stats) 22322634616711
 Bulgaria 11122
 Croatia (stats) Part of Yugoslavia2710612528
 Czechoslovakia 126101112Defunct5
 East Germany Part of GermanyP. of EUA6Part of Germany1
 France (stats) 3[d]691346101011111012
 Germany (stats) =512215See EUASee FRG and GDR795109
 Great Britain (stats) 1111848131271211
 Greece (stats) 81315141410891061047962517
 Hungary (stats) 55211211313213564111553424
 Iceland 151
 Ireland 9142
 Italy (stats) 10111341446287713589237722
 Luxembourg 111
 Malta 8162
 Montenegro (stats) Part of YugoslaviaP. of FRY / SCG444895
 Netherlands (stats) 457553588773669101117
 Portugal 201
 Romania (stats) 1785584911101210
 Russia (stats) Part of Soviet Union[g]5233
 Serbia (stats) Part of YugoslaviaP. of FRY / SCG331115
 Serbia and Montenegro (stats) Part of YugoslaviaSee FRY2Defunct1
 Slovakia Part of Czechoslovakia121
 Soviet Union[i] (stats) 732321813Defunct9
 Spain (stats) 71098891044621465674619
 Sweden (stats) 32346511118
  Switzerland 11121212145
 Ukraine Part of Soviet Union[g]121
International Olympic Committee Unified Team[g] (stats) Part of Soviet Union3Defunct1
Germany United Team of Germany (stats) See Germany666See FRG and GDRSee Germany3
 West Germany (stats) Part of GermanyP. of EUA104634Part of Germany5
 Yugoslavia (stats) 1092242155211Defunct12
 Yugoslavia[h] (stats) Part of Yugoslavia83Defunct2
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More information Men's team, Years ...
Close
More information Men's team, Years ...
Close

Finishes in the top four

The following table is pre-sorted by total finishes in the top four (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 8 August 2021.

Legend

  • Year* – As host team
  • Team – Defunct team
More information Rk, Men's team ...
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Medal table

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 11 August 2024.

Hungary is the most successful country in the men's Olympic water polo tournament, with nine gold, three silver and four bronze.[5]

Legend
  • Team – Defunct team
More information Rank, Men's team ...
RankMen's teamGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Hungary (HUN)93416
2 Yugoslavia (YUG)3407
3 Italy (ITA)3238
4 Serbia (SRB)3025
5 Great Britain (GBR)[k]3003
6 Soviet Union (URS)2237
7 United States (USA)[l]14510
8 Croatia (CRO)1304
9 Germany (GER)1203
10 Spain (ESP)1102
11 France (FRA)[d]1023
12 Mixed team (ZZX)1012
13 Belgium (BEL)0426
14 Sweden (SWE)0123
15 Russia (RUS)0112
 Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)[h]0112
17 Greece (GRE)0101
18 Netherlands (NED)0022
19 Unified Team (EUN)[g]0011
 West Germany (FRG)0011
Totals (20 entries)29293088
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Champions (results, squads)

Champions (results)

Thumb
Serbia men's national water polo team celebrated after the gold medal match of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

The following table shows results of Olympic champions in men's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 8 August 2021.

Legend

  •  6  – Winning 6 matches during the tournament
  •  4  – Drawing 4 matches during the tournament
  •  2  – Losing 2 matches during the tournament
  •  100.0%  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row)
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Team – Defunct team

Abbreviation

  • MP – Matches played
  • W – Won
  • D – Drawn
  • L – Lost
  • GF – Goals for
  • GA – Goals against
  • GD – Goal difference
  • GF/MP – Goals for per match
  • GA/MP – Goals against per match
  • GD/MP – Goal difference per match
More information #, Men's tournament ...
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Sources:

Champions (squads)
The following table shows number of players and average age, height and weight of Olympic champions in men's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 30 August 2021.

Legend

  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak
  •  Team  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Team – Defunct team
More information #, Men's tournament ...
Winning squads by tournament
#Men's tournamentChampionsPlayersReturning OlympiansAverage
NumberNumber %AgeHeightWeight
1 Paris 1900 Great Britain (1st title)700.0%
2 St. Louis 1904Water polo was a demonstration sport
3 London 1908 Great Britain (2nd title)700.0%26 years, 111 days
4 Stockholm 1912 Great Britain (3rd title)7457.1%29 years, 16 days
5 Antwerp 1920 Great Britain (4th title)7342.9%33 years, 279 days
6 Paris 1924 France (1st title)7342.9%26 years, 303 days
7 Amsterdam 1928 Germany (1st title)800.0%24 years, 329 days
8 Los Angeles 1932 Hungary (1st title)10770.0%27 years, 291 days
9 Berlin 1936 Hungary (2nd title)11545.5%26 years, 66 days
10 London 1948 Italy (1st title)900.0%30 years, 203 days
11 Helsinki 1952 Hungary (3rd title)13646.2%26 years, 337 days
12 Melbourne 1956 Hungary (4th title)12758.3%26 years, 148 days1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[m]80 kg (176 lb)[n]
13 Rome 1960 Italy (2nd title)12325.0%22 years, 363 days1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)81 kg (179 lb)
14 Tokyo 1964 Hungary (5th title)121083.3%28 years, 208 days1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)82 kg (181 lb)
15 Mexico City 1968 Yugoslavia (1st title)11545.5%26 years, 151 days1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)94 kg (207 lb)
16 Munich 1972 Soviet Union (1st title)11545.5%26 years, 351 days1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)87 kg (192 lb)
17 Montreal 1976 Hungary (6th title)11654.5%25 years, 333 days1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)88 kg (194 lb)
18 Moscow 1980 Soviet Union (2nd title)11436.4%25 years, 117 days1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)87 kg (192 lb)
19 Los Angeles 1984 Yugoslavia (2nd title)13323.1%23 years, 362 days1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)92 kg (203 lb)
20 Seoul 1988 Yugoslavia (3rd title)13646.2%23 years, 341 days1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)94 kg (207 lb)
21 Barcelona 1992 Italy (3rd title)13753.8%26 years, 224 days1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[o]81 kg (179 lb)[p]
22 Atlanta 1996 Spain (1st title)13969.2%26 years, 279 days1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)81 kg (179 lb)
23 Sydney 2000 Hungary (7th title)13538.5%25 years, 254 days1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)93 kg (205 lb)
24 Athens 2004 Hungary (8th title)131076.9%27 years, 344 days1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)96 kg (212 lb)
25 Beijing 2008 Hungary (9th title)13969.2%29 years, 248 days1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)100 kg (220 lb)
26 London 2012 Croatia (1st title)13861.5%29 years, 85 days1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)102 kg (225 lb)
27 Rio 2016 Serbia (1st title)13969.2%28 years, 205 days1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)96 kg (212 lb)
28 Tokyo 2020 Serbia (2nd title)131076.9%31 years, 250 days1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)95 kg (209 lb)
#Men's tournamentChampionsNumberNumber %AgeHeightWeight
PlayersReturning OlympiansAverage
Close

Sources:

Team records

Player statistics

More information Rk, Ref ...
Rk Rank Ref Reference (C) Captain
Pos Playing position FP Field player GK Goalkeeper
L/R Handedness L Left-handed R Right-handed
p. page pp. pages
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Multiple appearances (five-time Olympians)

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Manuel Estiarte of Spain is the only water polo player to compete at six Olympic Games (1980–2000).

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic appearances (in descending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), date of birth (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 26 July 2021.

Seventeen athletes competed in water polo at five or more Olympic Games between 1900 and 2020 inclusive. Paul Radmilovic, representing Great Britain, is the first water polo player to compete at five Olympics (1908–1928).[17]

Four players (Manuel Estiarte, Salvador Gómez, Jesús Rollán and Jordi Sans) were all members of the Spain men's national water polo team (1988–2000). Manuel Estiarte is the first and only water polo player (man or woman) to compete at six Olympics (1980–2000).[18] Jesús Rollán is the first water polo goalkeeper of either gender to compete at five Olympics (1984–2004).[19]

Tony Azevedo of the United States is the first non-European water polo player to compete at five Olympic Games (2000–2016).[20]

Italian goalkeeper Stefano Tempesti competed at five Olympics between 2000 and 2016.[21]

Legend and abbreviation

  •     – Hosts
  • Apps – Appearances
More information Apps, Player ...
Male athletes who competed in water polo at five or more Olympics
AppsPlayerBirthHeightMen's teamPosWater polo tournamentsPeriod
(age of
first/last)
MedalsRef
123456GSBT
6 Manuel Estiarte 19611.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
 SpainFP19801984198819921996200020 years
(18/38)
1102[18]
5 Paul Radmilovic 18861.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 Great BritainFP1908191219201924192820 years
(22/42)
3003[17]
Dezső Gyarmati 19271.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 HungaryFP1948195219561960196416 years
(20/36)
3115[22]
Gianni De Magistris 19501.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 ItalyFP1968197219761980198416 years
(17/33)
0101[23]
Jordi Sans 19651.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 SpainFP1984198819921996200016 years
(18/35)
1102[24]
George Mavrotas 19671.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
 GreeceFP1984198819921996200016 years
(17/33)
0000[25]
Salvador Gómez 19681.94 m
(6 ft 4 in)
 SpainFP1988199219962000200416 years
(20/36)
1102[26]
Jesús Rollán 19681.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
 SpainGK1988199219962000200416 years
(20/36)
1102[19]
Tibor Benedek 19721.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
 HungaryFP1992199620002004200816 years
(20/36)
3003[27]
Igor Hinić 19752.02 m
(6 ft 8 in)
 CroatiaFP1996200020042008201216 years
(20/36)
1102[28]
Tamás Kásás 19762.00 m
(6 ft 7 in)
 HungaryFP1996200020042008201216 years
(20/36)
3003[29]
Georgios Afroudakis 19761.94 m
(6 ft 4 in)
 GreeceFP1996200020042008201216 years
(19/35)
0000[30]
Stefano Tempesti 19792.05 m
(6 ft 9 in)
 ItalyGK2000200420082012201616 years
(21/37)
0112[21]
Tony Azevedo 19811.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 United StatesFP2000200420082012201616 years
(18/34)
0101[20]
Jesse Smith 19831.93 m
(6 ft 4 in)
 United StatesFP2004200820122016202017 years
(21/38)
0101[31]
Xavier García 19841.98 m
(6 ft 6 in)
 SpainFP20042008201217 years
(20/37)
0101[32]
 CroatiaFP20162020
Pietro Figlioli 19841.91 m
(6 ft 3 in)
 AustraliaFP2004200817 years
(20/37)
0112[33]
 ItalyFP201220162020
AppsPlayerBirthHeightMen's teamPos123456Period
(age of
first/last)
GSBTRef
Water polo tournamentsMedals
Close

Multiple medalists

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 11 August 2024.

Eleven male athletes won four or more Olympic medals in water polo. Among them, seven were members of the Hungary men's national water polo team. Dezső Gyarmati is the first and only athlete (man or woman) to win five Olympic medals in water polo (three gold, one silver and one bronze).[22]

Filip Filipović, Duško Pijetlović and Andrija Prlainović, all representing Serbia, won four consecutive Olympic medals between 2008 and 2021.[34][35][36]

Legend

  •     – Hosts
More information Rk, Player ...
Male athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo
RkPlayerBirthHeightMen's teamPosWater polo tournamentsPeriod
(age of
first/last)
MedalsRef
12345GSBT
1 Dezső Gyarmati 19271.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 HungaryFP1948195219561960196416 years
(20/36)
3115[22]
2 György Kárpáti 19351.67 m
(5 ft 6 in)
 HungaryFP195219561960196412 years
(17/29)
3014[37]
Dušan Mandić 19942.02 m
(6 ft 8 in)
 SerbiaFP201220162020202412 years
(18/30)
3014[38]
4 László Jeney 19231.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 HungaryGK194819521956196012 years
(25/37)
2114[39]
5 Mihály Mayer 19331.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 HungaryFP195619601964196812 years
(22/34)
2024[40]
Filip Filipović 19871.96 m
(6 ft 5 in)
 SerbiaFP200820122016202013 years
(21/34)
2024[34]
Duško Pijetlović 19851.97 m
(6 ft 6 in)
 SerbiaFP200820122016202013 years
(23/36)
2024[35]
Andrija Prlainović 19871.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
 SerbiaFP200820122016202013 years
(21/34)
2024[36]
9 András Bodnár 19421.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 HungaryFP196019641968197212 years
(18/30)
1124[41]
Endre Molnár 19451.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 HungaryGK196819721976198012 years
(23/35)
1124[42]
István Szívós Jr. 19482.02 m
(6 ft 8 in)
 HungaryFP196819721976198012 years
(20/32)
1124[43]
12 Joseph Pletincx 1888 BelgiumFP190819121920192416 years
(20/36)
0314[44]
RkPlayerBirthHeightMen's teamPos12345Period
(age of
first/last)
GSBTRef
Water polo tournamentsMedals
Close

Sources:

Multiple gold medalists

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Paul Radmilovic, representing Great Britain, won three gold medals in water polo at the 1908, 1912 and 1920 Olympics.

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 March 2021.

Ten athletes won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo. Six players (Tibor Benedek, Péter Biros, Tamás Kásás, Gergely Kiss, Tamás Molnár and Zoltán Szécsi) were all members of the Hungary men's national water polo team that won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2004 and 2008.[27][45][29][46][47][48]

There are thirty-one male athletes who won two Olympic gold medals in water polo.

Legend

  •     – Hosts
More information Rk, Player ...
Male athletes who won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo
RkPlayerBirthHeightMen's teamPosWater polo tournamentsPeriod
(age of
first/last)
MedalsRef
12345GSBT
1 Dezső Gyarmati 19271.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 HungaryFP1948195219561960196416 years
(20/36)
3115[22]
2 György Kárpáti 19351.67 m
(5 ft 6 in)
 HungaryFP195219561960196412 years
(17/29)
3014[37]
Dušan Mandić 19942.02 m
(6 ft 8 in)
 SerbiaFP201220162020202412 years
(18/30)
3014[38]
4 Paul Radmilovic 18861.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 Great BritainFP1908191219201924192820 years
(22/42)
3003[17]
Charles Smith 18791.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 Great BritainGK190819121920192416 years
(29/45)
3003[49]
Tibor Benedek 19721.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
 HungaryFP1992199620002004200816 years
(20/36)
3003[27]
Péter Biros 19761.96 m
(6 ft 5 in)
 HungaryFP200020042008201212 years
(24/36)
3003[45]
Tamás Kásás 19762.00 m
(6 ft 7 in)
 HungaryFP1996200020042008201216 years
(20/36)
3003[29]
Gergely Kiss 19771.98 m
(6 ft 6 in)
 HungaryFP200020042008201212 years
(22/34)
3003[46]
Tamás Molnár 19751.93 m
(6 ft 4 in)
 HungaryFP2000200420088 years
(25/33)
3003[47]
Zoltán Szécsi 19771.98 m
(6 ft 6 in)
 HungaryGK200020042008201212 years
(22/34)
3003[48]
Nikola Jakšić 19971.96 m
(6 ft 5 in)
 SerbiaFP2016202020248 years
(19/27)
3003[50]
Sava Ranđelović 19931.93 m
(6 ft 4 in)
 SerbiaFP2016202020248 years
(23/31)
3003[51]
RkPlayerBirthHeightMen's teamPos12345Period
(age of
first/last)
GSBTRef
Water polo tournamentsMedals
Close

Top goalscorers (one match, one tournament, all-time)

Top goalscorers (one match)

Top goalscorers (one tournament)

Thumb
Eraldo Pizzo of Italy scored 29 goals at the 1968 Olympics.

The following table is pre-sorted by number of goals (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Five male players have scored 25 or more goals in an Olympic water polo tournament.

Spaniard Manuel Estiarte is the first and only water polo player to achieve this feat twice. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, Estiarte netted 34 goals, setting the record for the most goals scored by a water polo player in a single Olympic tournament. Four years later, he scored 27 goals in Seoul.[52]

The most recent player to scoring 25 or more goals in a tournament was Alessandro Calcaterra, with Italy men's national team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[53]

Legend

  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
More information Rk, Year ...
Close

Sources:

Thumb
Filip Filipović scored 19 goals at the 2016 Olympics, helping Serbia win gold. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the men's water polo tournament.

The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Hans Schneider of Germany scored 22 goals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics,[57] which stood as an Olympic water polo record for one Games until 1968, when the Dutch player Nico van der Voet netted 33 goals in Mexico City.[54]

At 18 years old, Manuel Estiarte of Spain made his Olympic debut at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where he was the youngest-ever male top goalscorer with 21 goals. He was also the top goalscorer at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics, with 34 and 27 goals, respectively. He was the joint top goalscorer at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with 22 goals.[52]

Hungarian left-handed player Tibor Benedek was the joint top goalscorer at the 1992 Games with 22 goals, and the top goalscorer at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with 19 goals.[58]

Aleksandar Šapić, representing FR Yugoslavia, was the top goalscorer at the 2000 Sydney Olympics with 18 goals. Four years later, he netted 18 goals for Serbia and Montenegro, becoming the top goalscorer at the 2004 Athens Olympics.[59]

31-year-old István Szívós Sr. scored 16 goals for Hungary at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics,[60] which stood as an age record for the oldest top goalscorer in a single Olympic water polo tournament until 2008, when 33-year-old Alessandro Calcaterra of Italy netted 27 goals in Beijing.[53]

Left-hander Filip Filipović of Serbia was the joint top goalscorer at the 2016 Olympics, with 19 goals. He netted two goals in the gold medal match, helping the Serbian team win the Olympics.[61]

Legend

  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
More information Year, Player ...
Close

Sources:

Top goalscorers (all-time)

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Aleksandar Šapić scored 64 goals at four Olympics (1996–2008).

The following table is pre-sorted by number of total goals (in descending order), number of total Olympic matches played (in ascending order), date of the last Olympic match played (in ascending order), date of the first Olympic match played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Six-time Olympian Manuel Estiarte holds the record for the most goals scored by a water polo player in Olympic history, with 127 goals, far more than any other player. At his first three Olympics (1980–1988), Estiarte netted 82 goals.[52]

Hungarian left-hander Tibor Benedek scored 65 goals at five Olympics (1992–2008),[58] and his teammate Tamás Kásás netted 56 goals between 1996 and 2012.[78]

Aleksandar Šapić, representing FR Yugoslavia in 1996 and 2000, Serbia and Montenegro in 2004, and Serbia in 2008, scored 64 goals in 32 matches.[59]

Tony Azevedo of the United States holds the record for the most goals scored by a non-European water polo player in Olympic history, with 61 goals at five Olympics (2000–2016).[79]

Gianni De Magistris is the top scorer for the Italy men's Olympic water polo team, with 59 goals (1968–1984).[80] His compatriot Eraldo Pizzo netted 53 goals at four Olympics between 1960 and 1972.[55]

Charles Turner, representing Australia between 1976 and 1984, scored 50 goals in 23 matches.[81]

Legend

  •     – Hosts
More information Rk, Player ...
All-time male players with 50 or more goals at the Olympics
RkPlayerBirthHeightL/RMen's teamTotal
goals
Total
matches
played
Goals
per
match
Tournaments
(goals)
Period
(age of
first/last)
MedalsRef
123456GSBT
1 Manuel Estiarte19611.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right Spain127452.8221980
(21)
1984
(34)
1988
(27)
1992
(22)
1996
(13)
2000
(10)
20 years
(18/38)
1102[52]
2 Tibor Benedek19721.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
Left Hungary65371.7571992
(22)
1996
(19)
2000
(9)
2004
(5)
2008
(10)
16 years
(20/36)
3003[58]
3 Aleksandar Šapić19781.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
Right Yugoslavia64322.0001996
(8)
2000
(18)
12 years
(18/30)
0123[59]
 Serbia and Montenegro2004
(18)
 Serbia2008
(20)
4 Tony Azevedo19811.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
Right United States61351.7432000
(13)
2004
(15)
2008
(17)
2012
(11)
2016
(5)
16 years
(18/34)
0101[79]
5 Gianni De Magistris19501.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
Right Italy59401.4751968
(6)
1972
(11)
1976
(11)
1980
(20)
1984
(11)
16 years
(17/33)
0101[80]
6 Tamás Kásás19762.00 m
(6 ft 7 in)
Right Hungary56381.4741996
(13)
2000
(12)
2004
(14)
2008
(8)
2012
(9)
16 years
(20/36)
3003[78]
7 Eraldo Pizzo19381.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
Right Italy53291.8281960
(7)
1964
(5)
1968
(29)
1972
(12)
12 years
(22/34)
1001[55]
8 Charles Turner19521.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
Right Australia50232.1741976
(15)
1980
(17)
1984
(18)
8 years
(23/31)
0000[81]
Close

Sources:

Top goalkeepers (one match, one tournament, all-time)

Top goalkeepers (one match)

Top goalkeepers (one tournament)

Thumb
Josip Pavić saved 85 shots at the 2012 Games, helping Croatia win the Olympic title. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the men's water polo tournament.

The following table is pre-sorted by number of saves (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Since 1996, six male goalkeepers have saved 75 or more shots in an Olympic water polo tournament.

Stefano Tempesti of Italy is the first water polo goalkeeper to achieve this feat twice. At the 2008 Olympics, Tempesti saved 83 shots. Four years later in London, he blocked 87 shots, setting the record for the most saves by a water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic tournament.

Slobodan Soro is the second goalkeeper to achieve this feat twice. At the 2012 London Olympics, Soro saved 75 shots for Serbia. In Rio de Janeiro, he saved 81 shots for Brazil.

At the 2012 Summer Games, Josip Pavić saved 85 shots, including nine in the gold medal match, helping the Croatia team win the Olympics. He is the most efficient one among these six goalkeepers.

Legend and abbreviation

  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
  • 70.2% – Highest save efficiency
More information Rk, Year ...
Close

Sources:

Thumb
Stefano Tempesti of Italy saved 83 and 87 shots at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, respectively.

The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

At the 2004 Summer Games, Nikolay Maksimov saved 62 shots, including seven in the bronze medal match, helping Russia win the match.

Stefano Tempesti of Italy blocked 83 shots at the 2008 Olympics. In the 2012 edition, he saved 87 shots, helping the Italian team win the Olympic silver medal.

Slobodan Soro, representing Brazil, saved 81 shots at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Legend and abbreviation

  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
More information Year, Goalkeeper ...
Close

Sources:

Top goalkeepers (all-time)

Coach statistics

More information Rk, Ref ...
Rk Rank Ref Reference p. page pp. pages
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Most successful coaches

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Ratko Rudić coached three men's national teams to four Olympic gold medals (Yugoslavia in 1984 and 1988, Italy in 1992 and Croatia in 2012).

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of winning the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the coach (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 March 2021.

There are four coaches who led men's national water polo teams to win three or more Olympic medals.

Ratko Rudić is the most successful water polo coach in Olympic history. As a head coach, he led three men's national water polo teams to win four Olympic gold medals and one Olympic bronze medal. He guided Yugoslavia men's national team to two consecutive gold medals in 1984 and 1988, Italy men's national team to a gold medal in 1992 and a bronze medal in 1996, and Croatia men's national team to a gold medal in 2012, making him the first and only coach to lead three different men's national water polo teams to the Olympic titles.[89][90]

Dénes Kemény of Hungary is another coach who led men's national water polo team(s) to win three Olympic gold medals. Under his leadership, the Hungary men's national team won three gold in a row between 2000 and 2008, becoming the second water polo team to have an Olympic winning streak.[91]

Dezső Gyarmati coached the Hungary men's national team to three consecutive Olympic medals, a silver in 1972, a gold in 1976, and a bronze in 1980.[92]

Boris Popov led the Soviet Union men's national team to win an Olympic gold medal in 1980 and a bronze medal in 1988. Four years later, he coached the Unified Team to another bronze medal.[93]

Legend

  •     – Hosts
More information Rk, Head coach ...
Head coaches who led men's national teams to win three or more Olympic medals
RkHead coachNationalityBirthAgeMen's teamTournaments
(finish)
PeriodMedalsRef
123456789GSBT
1 Ratko Rudić Yugoslavia194836–40 Yugoslavia1984
(1st)
1988
(1st)
32
years
4015[94]
[89]
[90]
 Croatia44–52 Italy1992
(1st)
1996
(3rd)
2000
(5th)
56 United States2004
(7th)
60–64 Croatia2008
(6th)
2012
(1st)
68 Brazil2016
(8th)
2 Dénes Kemény Hungary195446–58 Hungary2000
(1st)
2004
(1st)
2008
(1st)
2012
(5th)
12
years
3003[91]
3 Dezső Gyarmati Hungary192744–52 Hungary1972
(2nd)
1976
(1st)
1980
(3rd)
8
years
1113[22]
[92]
4 Boris Popov Soviet Union194139, 47 Soviet Union1980
(1st)
1988
(3rd)
12
years
1023[95]
[93]
 Russia51International Olympic Committee Unified Team1992
(3rd)
Close

Medals as coach and player

Thumb
Terry Schroeder of the United States won two Olympic medals in 1984 and 1988, and then coached the United States men's national team to the podium in 2008.

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of winning the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the person (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 May 2021.

Twelve water polo players won Olympic medals and then guided men's national water polo teams to the Olympic podium as head coaches.

Dezső Gyarmati of Hungary won five Olympic medals in a row between 1948 and 1964. He coached the Hungary men's national team to three consecutive Olympic medals, including a gold in 1976,[22][92] making him the only man to win Olympic gold in water polo as player and head coach in the last 100 years.

Ivo Trumbić won the silver medal in 1964 and Yugoslavia's first Olympic gold medal in water polo in 1968. He moved to the Netherlands in 1973, hired as the head coach of the Netherlands men's national team. At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, he led the Dutch team to win a bronze medal.[96][97]

Vladimir Semyonov, representing the Soviet Union, won three Olympic medals in a row between 1960 and 1968. As a head coach, he led the Soviet Union men's national water polo team to win an Olympic gold medal in 1972.[98]

Soviet Boris Popov won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. He guided the Soviet Union men's national team to two Olympic medals in 1980 and 1988, and the Unified Team to a bronze medal in 1992.[93]

Aleksandr Kabanov of the Soviet Union won a gold at the Munich Olympics in 1972, coached by Vladimir Semyonov. Eight years later, he won the second gold medal at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, coached by Boris Popov. As a head coach, he led Russia men's national team to win two consecutive medals in 2000 and 2004.[99][100]

Ratko Rudić won a silver medal for Yugoslavia at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Upon retirement as an athlete, he immediately entered the coaching ranks. During his career, Rudić guided three different men's national teams to five Olympic medals, more than any other coaches.[94][89][90]

Terry Schroeder of the United States won two consecutive silver medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Twenty years later, he coached the United States men's national team to a silver in 2008, becoming the first and only non-European to achieve this feat.[101][102]

Italian Alessandro Campagna won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, coached by Ratko Rudić. As a head coach, he led Italy men's national team to win two medals in 2012 and 2016.[103][104]

Dejan Savić won three consecutive Olympic medals between 2000 and 2008. At the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, he coached Serbia men's national team to the Olympic title.[105]

Legend

  • Year* – As host team
More information Rk, Person ...
RkPersonBirthHeightPlayerHead coachTotal medalsRef
AgeMen's teamPosMedalAgeMen's teamMedalGSBT
1 Dezső Gyarmati19271.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
20–36 HungaryFP1948 , 1952 ,
1956 , 1960 ,
1964
44–52 Hungary1972 , 1976 ,
1980
4228[22]
[92]
2 Ratko Rudić19481.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
32 YugoslaviaFP1980 36–40 Yugoslavia1984 , 1988 4116[94]
[89]
[90]
44–48 Italy1992 , 1996
64 Croatia2012
3 Dejan Savić19751.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
25 YugoslaviaFP2000 41–46 Serbia2016 , 2020 2125[105]
29 Serbia and MontenegroFP2004
33 SerbiaFP2008
4 Aleksandr Kabanov19481.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
24, 32 Soviet UnionFP1972 , 1980* 52–56 Russia2000 , 2004 2114[99]
[100]
5 Vladimir Semyonov19381.84 m
(6 ft 0 in)
22–30 Soviet UnionFP1960 , 1964 ,
1968
34 Soviet Union1972 1214[98]
6 Boris Popov19411.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
23 Soviet UnionFP1964 39, 47 Soviet Union1980* , 1988 1034[95]
[93]
51International Olympic Committee Unified Team1992
7 Dezső Lemhényi191730–34 HungaryFP1948 , 1952 42 Hungary1960 1113[106]
[107]
Ivo Trumbić19351.97 m
(6 ft 6 in)
29–33 YugoslaviaFP1964 , 1968 41 Netherlands1976 1113[96]
[97]
Alessandro Campagna19631.82 m
(6 ft 0 in)
29 ItalyFP1992 49–53 Italy2012 , 2016 1113[103]
[104]
10 Terry Schroeder19581.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
25–29 United StatesFP1984* , 1988 49 United States2008 0303[101]
[102]
11 Gianni Lonzi19381.82 m
(6 ft 0 in)
22 ItalyFP1960* 37 Italy1976 1102[108]
[109]
12 Mario Majoni191038 ItalyFP1948* 42 Italy1952 1012[110]
[111]
RkPersonBirthHeightAgeMen's teamPosMedalAgeMen's teamMedalGSBTRef
PlayerHead coachTotal medals
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Women's tournament

Results summary

More information Year, Hosts ...
Year[5] Hosts Gold medal game Bronze medal game Number of teams
Gold Score Silver Bronze Score 4th place
2000 Australia
Sydney

Australia
4–3
United States

Russia
4–3
Netherlands
6
2004 Greece
Athens

Italy
10–9 (aet)
Greece

United States
6–5
Australia
8
2008 China
Beijing

Netherlands
9–8
United States

Australia
9–9 (aet)
(3–2) (ps)

Hungary
8
2012 United Kingdom
London

United States
8–5
Spain

Australia
13–11 (aet)
Hungary
8
2016 Brazil
Rio

United States
12–5
Italy

Russia
12–12
(7–6) (ps)

Hungary
8
2020 Japan
Tokyo

United States
14–5
Spain

Hungary
11–9
ROC
10
2024 France
Paris

Spain
11–9
Australia

Netherlands
11–10
United States
10
Close

Sources:

Confederation statistics

Best performances by tournament

This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation in each tournament.[5] Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  •  1st  – Champions
  •  2nd  – Runners-up
  •  3rd  – Third place
  •  4th  – Fourth place
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
More information Confederation, Total teams ...
Confederation 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Africa – CANA10th
Americas – UANA2nd3rd2nd1st1st1st4th
Asia – AASF6th8th5th5th7th8th10th
Europe – LEN3rd1st1st2nd2nd2nd1st
Oceania – OSA1st4th3rd3rd6th5th2nd
Total teams688881010
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Team statistics

More information Rk, Ref ...
Rk Rank Ref Reference p. page pp. pages
Close

Comprehensive team results by tournament

Note: Results of Olympic qualification tournaments are not included.

Legend
  •  1st  – Champions
  •  2nd  – Runners-up
  •  3rd  – Third place
  •  4th  – Fourth place
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
  •     – Hosts
Abbreviation
  • stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
More information Women's team, Years ...
Africa – CANA (1 team)
Women's team[5] 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Years
 South Africa 10thWD1
Americas – UANA (3 teams)
Women's team[5] 2000200420082012201620202024Years
 Brazil 8th1
 Canada (stats) 5th7th7th8th4
 United States (stats) 2nd3rd2nd1st1st1st4th7
Asia – AASF (3 teams)
Women's team[5] 2000200420082012201620202024Years
 China (stats) 5th5th7th8th10th5
 Japan 9th1
 Kazakhstan 6th8th2
Europe – LEN (9 teams)
Women's team[5] 2000200420082012201620202024Years
 France 9th1
 Great Britain 8th1
 Greece (stats) 2nd8th7th3
 Hungary (stats) 6th4th4th4th3rd5th6
 Italy (stats) 1st6th7th2nd6th5
 Netherlands (stats) 4th1st6th3rd4
 ROC (stats) 4th1
 Russia (stats) 3rd5th7th6th3rd5
 Spain (stats) 2nd5th2nd1st4
Oceania – OSA (1 team)
Women's team[5] 2000200420082012201620202024Years
 Australia (stats) 1st4th3rd3rd6th5th2nd7
Total teams 688881010
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Finishes in the top four

The following table is pre-sorted by total finishes in the top four (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
More information Rk, Women's team ...
RkWomen's team[5]TotalChampionsRunners-upThird placeFourth placeFirstLast
1 United States63 (2012, 2016, 2020)2 (2000, 2008)1 (2004)1 (2024)20002024
2 Australia51 (2000*)1 (2024)3 (2008, 2012)1 (2004)20002024
3 Hungary41 (2020)3 (2008, 2012, 2016)20082020
4 Spain31 (2024)2 (2012, 2020)20122024
5 Netherlands31 (2008)1 (2024)1 (2000)20002024
6 Italy21 (2004)1 (2016)20042016
7 Russia22 (2000, 2016)20002016
8 Greece11 (2004*)20042004
9 ROC11 (2020)20202020
RkWomen's teamTotalChampionsRunners-upThird placeFourth placeFirstLast
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Medal table

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

The United States is the most successful country in the women's Olympic water polo tournament, with three gold, two silver and one bronze.[5]

More information Rank, Women's team ...
RankWomen's teamGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States (USA)3216
2 Spain (ESP)1203
3 Australia (AUS)1124
4 Italy (ITA)1102
5 Netherlands (NED)1012
6 Greece (GRE)0101
7 Russia (RUS)0022
8 Hungary (HUN)0011
Totals (8 entries)77721
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Champions (results, squads)

Champions (results) The following table shows results of Olympic champions in women's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  •  6  – Winning 6 matches during the tournament
  •  4  – Drawing 4 matches during the tournament
  •  2  – Losing 2 matches during the tournament
  •  100.0%  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row)
  •  Team  – Host team
Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • W – Won
  • D – Drawn
  • L – Lost
  • GF – Goals for
  • GA – Goals against
  • GD – Goals difference
  • GF/MP – Goals for per match
  • GA/MP – Goals against per match
  • GD/MP – Goals difference per match
More information #, Women's tournament ...
Results of champions by tournament
#Women's tournamentChampionsMPWDLWin %GFGAGDGF/MPGA/MPGD/MP
1 Sydney 2000 Australia (1st title)760185.7%4629176.5714.1432.429
2 Athens 2004 Italy (1st title)650183.3%4433117.3335.5001.833
3 Beijing 2008 Netherlands (1st title)640266.7%575349.5008.8330.667
4 London 2012 United States (1st title)651083.3%5848109.6678.0001.667
5 Rio 2016 United States (2nd title)6600100.0%73324112.1675.3336.833
6 Tokyo 2020 United States (3rd title)760185.7%109476215.5716.7148.857
7 Paris 2024 Spain (1st title)7700100.0%94672713.4289.5713.857
#Women's tournamentTotal45391586.6%48130917210.6886.8663.822
ChampionsMPWDLWin %GFGAGDGF/MPGA/MPGD/MP
Close

Sources:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 96), 2004 (p. 72), 2008 (p. 71), 2012 (p. 368), 2016 (p. 218), 2020 (p. 273);
  • Olympedia: 2000–2020 (women's tournaments).

Champions (squads) The following table shows number of players and average age, height and weight of Olympic champions in women's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak
  •  Team  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Host team
More information #, Women's tournament ...
Winning squads by tournament
#Women's tournamentChampionsPlayersReturning OlympiansAverage
NumberNumber %AgeHeightWeight
1 Sydney 2000 Australia (1st title)1300.0%26 years, 215 days1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)71 kg (157 lb)
2 Athens 2004 Italy (1st title)1300.0%28 years, 301 days1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)67 kg (148 lb)
3 Beijing 2008 Netherlands (1st title)13215.4%25 years, 248 days1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)70 kg (154 lb)
4 London 2012 United States (1st title)13861.5%26 years, 96 days1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)77 kg (170 lb)
5 Rio 2016 United States (2nd title)13430.8%23 years, 200 days1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)77 kg (170 lb)
6 Tokyo 2020 United States (3rd title)13861.5%26 years, 33 days1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
6 Paris 2024 Spain (1st title)13861.5%
#Women's tournamentChampionsNumberNumber %AgeHeightWeight
PlayersReturning OlympiansAverage
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Sources:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 96), 2004 (p. 73), 2008 (p. 72), 2012 (p. 369), 2016 (p. 219), 2020 (p. 274);
  • Olympedia: 2000–2020 (women's tournaments).

Team records

Player statistics

More information Rk, Ref ...
Rk Rank Ref Reference (C) Captain
Pos Playing position FP Field player GK Goalkeeper
L/R Handedness L Left-handed R Right-handed
p. page pp. pages
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Multiple appearances (four-time Olympians)

Thumb
American water polo player Heather Petri competed at four Olympics (2000–2012).

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic appearances (in descending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), date of birth (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Eight female athletes competed in water polo at four or more Olympic Games between 2000 and 2020 inclusive.

Legend
  •     – Hosts
  • Apps – Appearances
More information Apps, Player ...
Female athletes who competed in water polo at four or more Olympics
AppsPlayerBirthHeightWomen's teamPosWater polo tournamentsPeriod
(age of
first/last)
MedalsRef
12345GSBT
4Heather Petri19781.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 United StatesFP200020042008201212 years
(22/34)
1214[112]
Sofia Konukh19801.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
 RussiaFP200020042008201212 years
(20/32)
0011[113]
Brenda Villa19801.63 m
(5 ft 4 in)
 United StatesFP200020042008201212 years
(20/32)
1214[114]
Tania Di Mario19791.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
 ItalyFP200420082012201612 years
(25/37)
1102[115]
Bronwen Knox19861.82 m
(6 ft 0 in)
 AustraliaFP200820122016202013 years
(22/35)
0022[116]
Nadezhda Glyzina19881.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
 RussiaFP20082012201613 years
(20/33)
0011[117]
 ROCFP2020
Evgenia Soboleva19881.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 RussiaFP20082012201613 years
(19/32)
0011[118]
 ROCFP2020
Ekaterina Prokofyeva19911.76 m
(5 ft 9 in)
 RussiaFP20082012201613 years
(17/30)
0011[119]
 ROCFP2020
AppsPlayerBirthHeightWomen's teamPos12345Period
(age of
first/last)
GSBTRef
Water polo tournamentsMedals
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Multiple medalists

Thumb
Brenda Villa of the United States won four Olympic medals in water polo between 2000 and 2012.

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Heather Petri and Brenda Villa, both representing the United States, are the only two female athletes to win four Olympic medals in water polo.[112][114]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
More information Rk, Player ...
Female athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo
RkPlayerBirthHeightWomen's teamPosWater polo tournamentsPeriod
(age of
first/last)
MedalsRef
12345GSBT
1Heather Petri19781.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 United StatesFP200020042008201212 years
(22/34)
1214[112]
Brenda Villa19801.63 m
(5 ft 4 in)
 United StatesFP200020042008201212 years
(20/32)
1214[114]
Close

Sources:

Multiple gold medalists

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Two female athletes won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo. They were both members of the United States women's national water polo team that won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012, 2016 and 2021.

Legend
  •     – Hosts
More information Rk, Player ...
Female athletes who won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo
RkPlayerBirthHeightWomen's teamPosWater polo tournamentsPeriod
(age of
first/last)
MedalsRef
12345GSBT
1Melissa Seidemann19901.83 m
(6 ft 0 in)
 United StatesFP2012201620209 years
(22/31)
3003[120]
Maggie Steffens19931.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
 United StatesFP2012201620209 years
(19/28)
3003[121]
Close

Top goalscorers (one match, one tournament, all-time)

Top goalscorers (one match)

Top goalscorers (one tournament)

The following table is pre-sorted by number of goals (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 12 August 2021.

Seven female players have scored 18 or more goals in an Olympic water polo tournament.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Dutch left-hander Simone van de Kraats scored 28 goals, setting the record for the most goals scored by a female water polo player in a single Olympic tournament.

Maggie Steffens of the United States is the first and only female water polo player to achieve this feat twice. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Steffens netted 21 goals. Nine years later, she scored 18 goals in Tokyo.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
More information Rk, Year ...
Female players with 18 or more goals in an Olympic tournament
RkYearPlayerBirthAgeHeightL/RGoalsMatches
played
Goals
per
match
Women's teamFinishRef
12020Simone van de Kraats2000201.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Left2874.000 Netherlands6th of 10
teams
[122]
22012Maggie Steffens1993191.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right2163.500 United States1st of 8
teams
[121]
32012Ma Huanhuan1990221.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right1963.167 China5th of 8
teams
[123]
42012Tania Di Mario1979331.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right1863.000 Italy7th of 8
teams
[124]
2020Maddie Musselman1998231.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Right1872.571 United States1st of 10
teams
[125]
2020Beatriz Ortiz1995261.76 m
(5 ft 9 in)
Right1872.571 Spain2nd of 10
teams
[126]
2020Maggie Steffens (2)1993281.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right1872.571 United States1st of 10
teams
[121]
RkYearPlayerBirthAgeHeightL/RGoalsMatches
played
Goals
per
match
Women's teamFinishRef
Close

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 53), 2008 (p. 54), 2012 (p. 345), 2016 (p. 193), 2020 (p. 234).
Thumb
Daniëlle de Bruijn of the Netherlands scored 11 and 17 goals at the 2000 and 2008 Olympics, respectively.

The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 12 August 2021.

At 19 years old, Maggie Steffens of the United States made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Olympics, where she was the youngest-ever female top goalscorer with 21 goals. She was also the top goalscorer at the 2016 Rio Olympics, with 17 goals.

Dutch left-handed player Daniëlle de Bruijn was the joint top goalscorer at the 2000 Olympics, with 11 goals. Eight years later she netted 17 goals, including seven goals in the gold medal match, becoming the top goalscorer at the 2008 Olympics.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
More information Year, Player ...
Female players with the most goals in each Olympic tournament
YearPlayerBirthAgeHeightL/RGoalsMatches
played
Goals
per
match
Women's teamFinishRef
2000Daniëlle de Bruijn1978221.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left1171.571 Netherlands4th of 6
teams
[127]
Bridgette Gusterson1973271.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Right71.571 Australia1st of 6
teams
[128]
Sofia Konukh1980201.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right71.571 Russia3rd of 6
teams
[129]
2004Tania Di Mario1979251.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right1462.333 Italy1st of 8
teams
[124]
2008Daniëlle de Bruijn (2)1978301.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left1762.833 Netherlands1st of 8
teams
[127]
2012Maggie Steffens1993191.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right2163.500 United States1st of 8
teams
[121]
2016Maggie Steffens (2)1993231.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right1762.833 United States1st of 8
teams
[121]
2020Simone van de Kraats2000201.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Left2874.000 Netherlands6th of 10
teams
[122]
Close

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 53), 2008 (p. 54), 2012 (p. 345), 2016 (p. 193), 2020 (p. 234).

Top goalscorers (all-time)

Thumb
Kate Gynther of Australia scored 30 goals at three Olympics (2004–2012).

The following table is pre-sorted by number of total goals (in descending order), number of total Olympic matches played (in ascending order), date of the last Olympic match played (in ascending order), date of the first Olympic match played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Three-time Olympian Maggie Steffens of the United States holds the record for the most goals scored by a female water polo player in Olympic history, with 56 goals.[130]

Italian Tania Di Mario netted 47 goals at four Olympics (2004–2016).[124]

Ma Huanhuan, representing China, holds the record for the most goals scored by an Asian female water polo player in Olympic history, with 37 goals at three Olympics (2008–2016).[123]

Kate Gynther of Australia netted 30 goals in 32 matches between 2004 and 2012.[131]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
More information Rk, Player ...
All-time female players with 30 or more goals at the Olympics
RkPlayerBirthHeightL/RWomen's teamTotal
goals
Total
matches
played
Goals
per
match
Tournaments
(goals)
Period
(age of
first/last)
MedalsRef
1234GSBT
1Maggie Steffens19931.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right United States56192.9472012
(21)
2016
(17)
2020
(18)
9 years
(19/28)
3003[130]
2Tania Di Mario19791.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right Italy47232.0432004
(14)
2008
(10)
2012
(18)
2016
(5)
12 years
(25/37)
1102[124]
3Ma Huanhuan19901.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right China37172.1762008
(7)
2012
(19)
2016
(11)
8 years
(18/26)
0000[123]
4Sofia Konukh19801.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right Russia31221.4092000
(11)
2004
(9)
2008
(7)
2012
(4)
12 years
(20/32)
0011[129]
5Brenda Villa19801.63 m
(5 ft 4 in)
Right United States31231.3482000
(9)
2004
(7)
2008
(9)
2012
(6)
12 years
(20/32)
1214[132]
6Kate Gynther19821.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
Right Australia30171.7652004
(7)
2008
(13)
2012
(10)
8 years
(22/30)
0022[131]
Close

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 53), 2008 (p. 54), 2012 (p. 345), 2016 (p. 193).

Top goalkeepers (one match, one tournament, all-time)

Top goalkeepers (one match)

Top goalkeepers (one tournament)

The following table is pre-sorted by number of saves (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Six female goalkeepers have saved 50 or more shots in an Olympic water polo tournament.

Giulia Gorlero of Italy holds the record for the most saves by a female water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic tournament, blocking 65 shots in the 2016 edition.

At the 2016 Summer Games, Ashleigh Johnson saved 51 shots, including nine in the gold medal match, helping the American team win the Olympics. She is the most efficient one among these six goalkeepers.

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
  • 64.6% – Highest save efficiency
More information Rk, Year ...
Female goalkeepers with 50 or more saves in an Olympic tournament
RkYearGoalkeeperBirthAgeHeightSavesShotsEff %MPSaves
per
match
Women's teamFinishRef
12016Giulia Gorlero1990251.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
6510661.3%610.833 Italy2nd of 8
teams
[133]
22012Elena Gigli1985271.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
5610553.3%69.333 Italy7th of 8
teams
[134]
32016Yang Jun1988281.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
5511846.6%69.167 China7th of 8
teams
[135]
42012Rosemary Morris1986261.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
5411347.8%69.000 Great Britain8th of 8
teams
[136]
52012Elizabeth Armstrong1983291.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
5310152.5%68.833 United States1st of 8
teams
[137]
62016Ashleigh Johnson1994211.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
517964.6%68.500 United States1st of 8
teams
[138]
Close

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 49), 2008 (p. 50), 2012 (p. 341), 2016 (p. 195).

The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

At the 2004 Summer Games, Jacqueline Frank saved 41 shots, including seven in the bronze medal match, helping the United States win the match.

Giulia Gorlero of Italy blocked 65 shots at the 2016 Olympics, helping the Italian team win the Olympic silver medal.

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
More information Year, Goalkeeper ...
Female goalkeepers with the most saves in each Olympic tournament
YearGoalkeeperBirthAgeHeightSavesShotsEff %MPSaves
per
match
Women's teamFinishRef
2000Karla Plugge1968311.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
458155.6%76.429 Netherlands4th of 6
teams
[139]
2004Jacqueline Frank1980241.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
416860.3%58.200 United States3rd of 8
teams
[140]
2008Elizabeth Armstrong1983251.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
499253.3%59.800 United States2nd of 8
teams
[137]
2012Elena Gigli1985271.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
5610553.3%69.333 Italy7th of 8
teams
[134]
2016Giulia Gorlero1990251.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
6510661.3%610.833 Italy2nd of 8
teams
[133]
Close

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 49), 2008 (p. 50), 2012 (p. 341), 2016 (p. 195).

Top goalkeepers (all-time)

Coach statistics

More information Rk, Ref ...
Rk Rank Ref Reference p. page pp. pages
Close

Most successful coaches

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of winning the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the coach (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 March 2021.

There are three coaches who led women's national water polo teams to win two or more Olympic medals.

Guy Baker guided the United States women's national team to three Olympic medals in a row between 2000 and 2008.[141][142]

Adam Krikorian coached the United States women's national team to three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012, 2016 and 2024.[143][142]

Miki Oca guided United States women's national team to three Olympic medals between 2012 and 2024, including one gold.[144]

Greg McFadden led Australia women's national team to win two consecutive Olympic bronze medals in 2008 and 2012.[145]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
More information Rk, Head coach ...
Head coaches who led women's national teams to win two or more Olympic medals
RkHead coachNationalityBirthAgeWomen's teamTournaments
(finish)
PeriodMedalsRef
1234GSBT
1Adam Krikorian United States197438–42 United States2012
(1st)
2016
(1st)
2020
(1st) |
12
years
3003[143]
[142]
2Miki Oca Spain197042–54 Spain2012
(2nd)
2020
(2nd)
2024
(1st)
12
years
1203[146]
3Guy Baker United States United States2000
(2nd)
2004
(3rd)
2008
(2nd)
8
years
0213[141]
[142]
4Greg McFadden Australia196443–51 Australia2008
(3rd)
2012
(3rd)
2016
(6th)
8
years
0022[147]
[145]
Close

Medals as coach and player

Thumb
István Görgényi of Hungary won an Olympic medal in 1972, and then coached the Australia women's team to gold in 2000.

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of winning the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the person (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 March 2021.

As of 2016, two water polo players won Olympic medals and then guided women's national water polo teams to the Olympic podium as head coaches.

With the Hungary men's national water polo team, István Görgényi won a silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He was appointed head coach of the Australia women's national team in 1998. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he led the team to win the inaugural women's water polo gold medal.[148][149]

Spanish water polo player Miki Oca won a silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Four years later, he won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. As a head coach, he guided Spain women's national water polo team to a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and silver medals at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020.[146]

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
More information Rk, Person ...
RkPersonBirthHeightPlayerHead coachTotal medalsRef
AgeMen's teamPosMedalAgeWomen's teamMedalGSBT
1Miki Oca19701.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
22–26 SpainFP1992* , 1996 42 Spain2024
2012, 2020
2305[146]
2István Görgényi19461.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
25 HungaryFP1972 53 Australia2000* 1102[148]
[149]
Close
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Overall medal table

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the NOC (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 December 2021.[150]

Italy is the only country to win both the men's and women's water polo tournaments at the Summer Olympics. Italy men's national team won gold medals at the 1948, 1960 and 1992 Olympics, while the women's team was Olympic champions in 2004.

Legend
  • NOC – NOC that won medals in both the men's and women's tournaments
  • NOC – Defunct NOC
More information Rank, NOC ...
RankNOCGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Hungary93517
2 United States[l]46515
3 Italy43310
4 Yugoslavia3407
5 Serbia3025
6 Great Britain[k]3003
7 Spain2305
8 Soviet Union2237
9 Croatia1304
10 Germany1203
11 Netherlands1034
12 Australia1023
 France[d]1023
14 Mixed team1012
15 Belgium0426
16 Greece0202
17 Russia0134
18 Sweden0123
19 Serbia and Montenegro0112
20 Unified Team[g]0011
 West Germany0011
Totals (21 entries)363536107
Close

Winning two medals in one edition of the Games

As of the 2024 Summer Olympics, four NOCs won two medals in one edition of the Games.

Legend

  •     – Hosts
More information Year, Nation ...
Close

Water polo people at the opening and closing ceremonies

Flag bearers

Thumb
Evert Kroon was the flag bearer for the Netherlands at the closing ceremony of the 1976 Olympics.

Some sportspeople were chosen to carry the national flag of their country at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games. As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, thirty water polo people from six continents were given the honour. Among them, three flag bearers won the tournament with his/her team.

Charles Smith, representing Great Britain, was the first water polo player to be a flag bearer at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.[49]

Six-time Olympian Manuel Estiarte of Spain was the flag bearer during the opening ceremony at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[18]

After winning gold in the women's tournament, Carmela Allucci, the captain of the Italian women's water polo team, carried the national flag of Italy at the closing ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics,[152] becoming the first female water polo player to be given the honour.

Legend

  •  2008 O  – Opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics
  •  2012 C  – Closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics
  •     – Hosts
  •  Flag bearer  – Female flag bearer
  • Flag bearer – Flag bearer who won the tournament with his/her team
More information #, Year ...
Water polo people who were flag bearers at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games
#YearCountryFlag bearerBirthAgeHeightTeamPosWater polo tournamentsPeriod
(age of
first/last)
MedalsRef
123456GSBT
1 1912 O Great BritainCharles Smith1879331.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 Great BritainGK190819121920192416 years
(29/45)
3003[49]
2 1920 O BelgiumVictor Boin188634 BelgiumFP190819124 years
(22/26)
0112[153]
3 1924 O Great BritainArthur Hunt188637 Great BritainFP19240 years
(37/37)
0000[154]
4 1928 O FranceJean Thorailler188840 FranceGK191219208 years
(24/32)
0000[155]
5 1948 O AustraliaLes McKay191731 AustraliaFP19480 years
(31/31)
0000[156]
6 YugoslaviaBožo Grkinić191334 YugoslaviaFP19480 years
(34/34)
0000[157]
7 1952 O EgyptAhmed Fouad Nessim192427 EgyptGK194819524 years
(23/27)
0000[158]
8 1956 O SingaporeLionel Chee193125 SingaporeFP19560 years
(25/25)
0000[159]
9 YugoslaviaZdravko-Ćiro Kovačić192531 YugoslaviaGK1948195219568 years
(23/31)
0202[160]
10 1968 O BrazilJoão Gonçalves1934331.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
 BrazilFP1960196419688 years
(25/33)
0000[161]
11 NetherlandsFred van Dorp1938301.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
 NetherlandsFP1960196419688 years
(21/30)
0000[162]
11 1968 C NetherlandsFred van Dorp1938301.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
 NetherlandsFP1960196419688 years
(21/30)
0000[162]
12 1972 O YugoslaviaMirko Sandić1942301.98 m
(6 ft 6 in)
 YugoslaviaFP196019641968197212 years
(18/30)
1102[163]
13 1976 C NetherlandsEvert Kroon1946291.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
 NetherlandsGK1968197219768 years
(22/29)
0011[164]
14 1980 O HungaryIstván Szívós Sr.1920591.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 HungaryFP1948195219568 years
(27/36)
2103[165]
15 1984 O NetherlandsTon Buunk1952311.96 m
(6 ft 5 in)
 NetherlandsFP197219761980198412 years
(19/31)
0011[166]
16 1988 C United StatesTerry Schroeder1958291.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
 United StatesFP1984198819928 years
(25/33)
0202[101]
17 1996 O CroatiaPerica Bukić1966301.98 m
(6 ft 6 in)
 YugoslaviaFP1984198812 years
(18/30)
2103[167]
 CroatiaFP1996
18 FR YugoslaviaIgor Milanović1965301.95 m
(6 ft 5 in)
 YugoslaviaFP1984198812 years
(18/30)
2002[168]
 YugoslaviaFP1996
19 2000 O SpainManuel Estiarte1961381.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
 SpainFP19801984198819921996200020 years
(18/38)
1102[18]
20 2004 O CroatiaDubravko Šimenc1966372.01 m
(6 ft 7 in)
 YugoslaviaFP198816 years
(21/37)
1102[169]
 CroatiaFP199620002004
21 2004 C ItalyCarmela Allucci1970341.67 m
(5 ft 6 in)
 ItalyFP20040 years
(34/34)
1001[152]
22 2008 O MontenegroVeljko Uskoković1971371.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 YugoslaviaFP1996200012 years
(25/37)
0011[170]
 MontenegroFP2008
22 2008 C MontenegroVeljko Uskoković1971371.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 YugoslaviaFP1996200012 years
(25/37)
0011[170]
 MontenegroFP2008
23 2012 O HungaryPéter Biros1976361.96 m
(6 ft 5 in)
 HungaryFP200020042008201212 years
(24/36)
3003[45]
24 2016 O CroatiaJosip Pavić1982341.95 m
(6 ft 5 in)
 CroatiaGK2008201220168 years
(26/34)
1102[82]
25 2016 C MontenegroPredrag Jokić1983331.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
 Serbia and MontenegroFP200412 years
(21/33)
0101[171]
 MontenegroFP200820122016
26 2020 O SerbiaFilip Filipović1987341.96 m
(6 ft 5 in)
 SerbiaFP200820122016202013 years
(21/34)
2024[34]
27 MontenegroDraško Brguljan1984361.94 m
(6 ft 4 in)
 MontenegroFP200820122016202013 years
(23/36)
0000[172]
28 2020 C GreeceIoannis Fountoulis1988331.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 GreeceFP2012201620209 years
(24/33)
0101[173]
29 CroatiaAndro Bušlje1986351.99 m
(6 ft 6 in)
 CroatiaFP200820122016202013 years
(22/35)
1102[174]
30 MontenegroDušan Matković1999221.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
 MontenegroFP20200 years
(22/22)
0000[175]
Close

Oath takers

Thumb
Victor Boin was the Oath taker at the opening ceremony of the 1920 Olympics.

Some sportspeople from the host nations were chosen to take the Olympic Oath at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, four water polo people were given the honour.[176][177]

As an athlete, Victor Boin of Belgium took the first ever Olympic Oath at the 1920 Games in Antwerp.[153]

Eugeni Asensio, a Spanish water polo referee, took the Officials' Oath at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.[178]

As a water polo referee, Australian Peter Kerr took the Officials' Oath at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.[179]

Asumi Tsuzaki of Japan took the Officials' Oath at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo,[180] becoming the first female water polo referee to be given the honour.

Legend

  •     – Hosts
  •  Oath taker  – Female oath taker
  • Oath taker – Oath taker who won the tournament with his/her team
More information #, Year ...
Close

See also

Notes

  1. At the 1932 Olympics, Brazil was ejected from the competition after their players assaulted the Hungarian referee, Bela Komjadi, and other officials at the end of their match against Germany, leading to the entire team being arrested. Their two matches were annulled. For more details, please see the Official Report of the 1932 Olympic Games (pp. 650–651), and here.
  2. At the 1948 Olympics, the water polo matches between Italy and Yugoslavia in Group D and between Egypt and Hungary in Group E were both replayed. For more details, please see here.
  3. At the 1952 Olympics, the water polo match between the Netherlands and Yugoslavia in Group C was replayed. For more details, please see here.
  4. France had four teams compete in 1900. Bronze medals were given to the losers of both semifinals; France took both bronze medals. Bill Burgess, a member of one of the French bronze medalist teams, was a British national: the IOC subsequently attributed the bronze medal to a mixed team.
  5. As Great Britain had a bye in the first round, and then received a walkover in the semi-finals after Austria withdrew, the final was the only match that they played during the tournament.
  6. There was no bronze medal match at the 1908 Games in London. Belgium beat the Netherlands in the only first round match, and then beat Sweden in the only semi-final.
  7. In 1992, 12 of the 15 former Soviet Republics competed together as the Unified Team and marched under the Olympic Flag in the Barcelona Games.
  8. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia men's national water polo team participated at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, and won a bronze medal in 2000. In 2003, after the country was renamed from FR Yugoslavia to Serbia and Montenegro, the team was also renamed to Serbia and Montenegro. Despite the renaming of the country name, both the team of FR Yugoslavia and the team of Serbia and Montenegro represented the same national entity: a joint state of Montenegro and Serbia.
  9. The Olympic Committee of the Soviet Union was formed on 21 April 1951, and was recognised by the International Olympic Committee on 7 May 1951.
  10. While Australia had qualified to compete as one of the sixteen teams, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) did not endorse them. The Australian players responded by paying their own way to travel to Mexico City, but the lack of endorsement meant the team were ineligible to compete. For more details, please see here (1, 2).
  11. A British team won the gold medal in 1900. Victor Lindberg, a member of the British team, was a New Zealander: the IOC subsequently attributed the gold medal to a mixed team.
  12. Previously, the International Olympic Committee and International Swimming Federation (FINA) considered the water polo event at the 1904 Olympics as a demonstration sport.[5] However, in July 2021, after accepting the recommendation of Olympic historian Bill Mallon, the IOC recognized water polo along with several others as an official sport of the 1904 Olympic program.[151]
  13. Average height of 9 players.
  14. Average weight of 8 players.
  15. Average height of 11 players.
  16. Average weight of 11 players.

References

Sources

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