| Water polo at the Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC Code | WPO |
| Governing body | World Aquatics |
| Events | 2 (men: 1; women: 1) |
| Summer Olympics | |
| Overall statistics (men •women) Champions (men •women) Team appearances (men •women) Player appearances (men •women) Top goalscorers (men •women) Goalkeepers (men •women) Flag bearers and oath takers Venues | |
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Water polo has been part of theSummer Olympics program since the second games, in1900. A women's water polo tournament was introduced for the2000 Summer Olympics.Hungary has been the most successful country in men's tournament, while theUnited 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.
The history ofwater polo as ateam sport began in mid-19th century England and Scotland, wherewater 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 competitionsport, except 1896. Women's water polo made its debut in the Summer Olympics in 2000.
Men's water polo was among the first team sports introduced at the modern Olympic Games in 1900.[3] SevenEuropean 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, theInternational Olympic Committee andInternational 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, theGreat Britain men's national water polo team won three consecutive gold medals at the Olympics, becoming the first water polo team to have an Olympicwinning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row).
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.
The most famous water polo match in Olympic history often referred to as theBlood in the Water match, was a1956 Summer Olympics semi-final match between Hungary and theSoviet Union, played inMelbourne on 6 December 1956. As the athletes left for the games, theHungarian 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 playerValentin Prokopov punching Hungarian playerErvin 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 defeatingYugoslavia 2–1 in the final.
Women's water polo became an Olympic sport at the2000 Sydney Olympics. Six nations competed in the women's tournament with home teamAustralia winning the gold medal over theUnited 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.
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 andSpain),Australia, Brazil, Canada and theUnited States.
As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, 51National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from sixcontinents 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 andOceania won all six gold medals. Water polo teams fromAfrica,Asia andSouth America have not won an Olympic medal yet.
For theSummer Olympics, there are 34 venues that have been or will be used for water polo.
TheSeine in Paris hosted the first water polo competitions at the1900 Olympics. TheForest Park in St. Louis hosted the water polo events for the1904 Summer Olympics.
The first water polo venue not located on a river or a lake took place at the1908 London Olympics. It was not until the1920 Olympics that a separate venue was created for the aquatic venues. The1948 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 the1964 Tokyo Olympics.
TheWater Polo Arena of the2012 London Olympics was the first dedicated water polo venue to be built for an Olympics, the structure was taken down after the games.
Paris 1900:Seine,Paris
St. Louis 1904:Forest Park,St. Louis
London 1908:White City Stadium,White City
Stockholm 1912:Djurgårdsbrunnsviken,Stockholm
Antwerp 1920:Stade Nautique d'Antwerp,Antwerp Paris 1924:Piscine des Tourelles,Paris
Amsterdam 1928:Olympic Sports Park Swim Stadium,Amsterdam
Los Angeles 1932:Swimming Stadium,Los Angeles
Berlin 1936:Olympic Swimming Stadium,Berlin London 1948:Empire Pool (final),Wembley; andFinchley Lido,North Finchley
Helsinki 1952:Swimming Stadium,Helsinki
Melbourne 1956:Swimming/Diving Stadium,Melbourne
Rome 1960:Piscina delle Rose andStadio Olimpico del Nuoto (final), both inRome
Tokyo 1964:Tokyo Metropolitan Indoor Swimming Pool,Tokyo
Mexico City 1968:Francisco Márquez Olympic Pool (final) andUniversity City Swimming Pool, both inMexico City
Munich 1972:Dantebad andSchwimmhalle (final), both inMunich
Montreal 1976:Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard andOlympic Pool (final), both inMontreal
Moscow 1980:Swimming Pool - Moscow andSwimming Pool - Olimpiysky (final), both inMoscow
Los Angeles 1984:Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool,Malibu, California
Seoul 1988:Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool,Seoul
Barcelona 1992:Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc andPiscines Bernat Picornell (finals), both inBarcelona Atlanta 1996:Georgia Tech Aquatic Center,Atlanta Sydney 2000:Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre,Ryde; andSydney International Aquatic Centre,Sydney
Athens 2004:Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre,Athens
Beijing 2008:Ying Tung Natatorium,Beijing London 2012:Water Polo Arena,London
Rio de Janeiro 2016:Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre andOlympic Aquatics Stadium (finals),Rio de Janeiro
Tokyo 2020:Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center,Tokyo Paris 2024:Paris Aquatic Centre andParis La Défense Arena (finals) Los Angeles 2028:Long Beach Waterfront Brisbane 2032:Sleeman CentreSources:
| Event | 96 | 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 | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Since 2012, the qualifying process consists of five stages:
| Stage | Zone | Tournament | Berths | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | |||
| 1 | — | Host nation | 1 (from Europe) | 1 (from Americas) | 1 (from Asia) |
| 2 | World –FINA | FINA Water Polo World League | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | World – FINA | World Aquatics Championships | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Africa –CANA | African Continental Selection | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Americas –UANA | Pan American Games | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Asia –AASF | Asian Water Polo Championship | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Europe –LEN | European Water Polo Championship | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Oceania –OSA | Oceanian Continental Selection | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | World – FINA | World Qualification Tournament | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Total | 12 | 12 | 12 | ||
| Stage | Zone | Tournament | Berths | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | |||
| 1 | — | Host nation | 1 (from Europe) | 1 (from Americas) | 1 (from Asia) |
| 2 | World –FINA | FINA Water Polo World League | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | World – FINA | World Aquatics Championships | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Africa –CANA | African Continental Selection | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Americas –UANA | Pan American Games | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Asia –AASF | Asian Water Polo Championship | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Europe –LEN | European Water Polo Championship | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Oceania –OSA | Oceanian Continental Selection | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | World – FINA | World Qualification Tournament | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Total | 8 | 8 | 10 | ||
According to theFINA General Rules,[10] the list below shows the requirements for a player to be eligible to play in international tournaments:
For both the men's and women's tournaments at the 2020 Olympics (which was postponed to 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic),[11] the competition consists of around-robin group stage followed by aknockout 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.
| # | Year | Dates | Number of | Competition format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Matches | ||||
| 1 | 1900 | 11–12 August | 7 teams | 6 matches | Single-elimination tournament |
| 2 | 1904 | 5–6 September | 3 teams | 2 matches | |
| 3 | 1908 | 15–22 July | 4 teams | 4 matches | |
| 4 | 1912 | 7–16 July | 6 teams | 10 matches | |
| 5 | 1920 | 22–29 August | 12 teams | 19 matches | Single-elimination tournament withBergvall system for second- and third-place |
| 6 | 1924 | 13–20 July | 13 teams | 19 matches | |
| 7 | 1928 | 4–11 August | 14 teams | 18 matches | Single-elimination tournament with Bergvall system for third place |
| 8 | 1932 | 4–13 August | 5 teams | 6 matches[a] | Round-robin tournament |
| 9 | 1936 | 8–15 August | 16 teams | 40 matches | 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 |
| 10 | 1948 | 28 July – 7 August | 18 teams | 40 matches[b] | Series of round-robin elimination pools, followed by round-robin semi-final pools, and then round-robin final pools |
| 11 | 1952 | 25 July – 2 August | 21 teams | 56 matches[c] | Single-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 | 1956 | 28 November – 7 December | 10 teams | 29 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool |
| 13 | 1960 | 25 August – 3 September | 16 teams | 40 matches | 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 |
| 14 | 1964 | 11–18 October | 13 teams | 31 matches | |
| 15 | 1968 | 14–26 October | 15 teams | 63 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams toclassification matches |
| 16 | 1972 | 27 August – 4 September | 16 teams | 59 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool |
| 17 | 1976 | 18–27 July | 12 teams | 48 matches | |
| 18 | 1980 | 20–29 July | 12 teams | 48 matches | |
| 19 | 1984 | 1–10 August | 12 teams | 42 matches | |
| 20 | 1988 | 21 September – 1 October | 12 teams | 42 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches |
| 21 | 1992 | 1–9 August | 12 teams | 42 matches | |
| 22 | 1996 | 20–28 July | 12 teams | 48 matches | |
| 23 | 2000 | 23 September – 1 October | 12 teams | 48 matches | |
| 24 | 2004 | 15–29 August | 12 teams | 44 matches | |
| 25 | 2008 | 10–24 August | 12 teams | 44 matches | |
| 26 | 2012 | 29 July – 12 August | 12 teams | 42 matches | |
| 27 | 2016 | 6–20 August | 12 teams | 42 matches | |
| 28 | 2020 | 25 July – 8 August 2021[11] | 12 teams | 42 matches | |
| # | Year | Dates | Teams | Matches | Competition format |
| Number of | |||||
| # | Year | Dates | Number of | Competition format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Matches | ||||
| 1 | 2000 | 16–23 September | 6 teams | 20 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams toclassification matches |
| 2 | 2004 | 16–26 August | 8 teams | 20 matches | |
| 3 | 2008 | 11–21 August | 8 teams | 20 matches | |
| 4 | 2012 | 30 July – 9 August | 8 teams | 24 matches | |
| 5 | 2016 | 9–19 August | 8 teams | 24 matches | |
| 6 | 2020 | 24 July – 7 August 2021[11] | 10 teams | 32 matches | |
Sources:
| Maximum number of players | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900–1904 | 1908–1980 | 1984–2016 | 2020– | |
| In the playing area of the pool during an Olympic match | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| During an Olympic match | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12[12] |
| During an Olympic tournament | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13[12] |
| per club | per nation | per nation | per nation | |
| Maximum number of players | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2016 | 2020– | |
| In the playing area of the pool during an Olympic match | 7 | 7 |
| During an Olympic match | 13 | 12[12] |
| During an Olympic tournament | 13 | 13[12] |
| per nation | per nation | |
Sources:
The FINA follows theWorld Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) regulations onperformance-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]
Sources:
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
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7th | 10th | — | 9th | 12th | 15th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12th | — | — | — | 12th | — | |
| Americas –UANA | — | — | — | 4th | 3rd | 7th | 3rd | 9th | 10th | 4th | 5th | 7th | 9th | 5th | 3rd | 7th | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | 4th | 7th | 6th | 7th | 2nd | 8th | 10th | 6th | 3rd | |
| Asia –AASF | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4th | 14th | 12th | 21st | 10th | 14th | 11th | 12th | 15th | 12th | — | 9th | 11th | — | — | 9th | 11th | 12th | 11th | 12th | 10th | 11th | |
| Europe –LEN | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| Oceania –OSA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18th | 19th | 9th | 15th | 10th | — | 12th | 11th | 7th | 5th | 8th | 5th | — | 8th | 9th | 8th | 7th | 9th | 9th | 8th | |
| Total teams | 7 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 10 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Rk | Rank | Ref | Reference | p. | page | pp. | pages |
|---|
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
Abbreviation
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Egypt (stats) | — | — | — | — | 7 | 10 | — | 13 | 12 | 15 | — | 12 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
 South Africa | — | 14 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | WD | 3 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | — | — | 13 | 10 | 16 | 11 | — | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brazil (stats) | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | [a] | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| Canada (stats) | 16 | 9 | — | 10 | 11 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Chile | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Cuba | — | — | — | 8 | 9 | 7 | 5 | — | — | 8 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Mexico | — | — | — | — | 18 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| United States (stats) | 4 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 23 | |||||
 Uruguay | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 16 | — | 2 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 11 | 12 | 3 | |||||||||
 India | — | — | — | 12 | 21 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Iran | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Japan (stats) | — | — | — | 4 | 14 | — | 14 | 11 | 12 | 15 | — | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
 Kazakhstan (stats) | — | — | — | — | — | Part ofSoviet Union | [g] | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Singapore | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| South Korea | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 4 | — | 7 | 13 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belgium (stats) | 2 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 7 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||
 Bulgaria | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 12 | — | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
 Croatia (stats) | — | — | — | — | Part ofYugoslavia | 2 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
 Czechoslovakia† | — | — | — | — | 12 | 6 | 10 | 11 | — | 12 | Defunct | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
 East Germany† | Part of Germany | P. ofEUA | 6 | — | Part of Germany | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| France (stats) | 3[d] | — | 6 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| Germany (stats) | =5 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 15 | SeeEUA | SeeFRG andGDR | 7 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| Great Britain (stats) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Greece (stats) | 8 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 17 | ||||||||||||
 Hungary (stats) | 5 | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 24 | |||
 Iceland | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
 Ireland | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 14 | — | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Italy (stats) | — | 10 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 22 | ||||||
 Luxembourg | — | — | — | 11 | — | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Malta | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
 Montenegro (stats) | — | — | — | — | Part ofYugoslavia | P. ofFRY /SCG | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Netherlands (stats) | — | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 17 | |||||||||||
 Portugal | — | — | — | 20 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Romania (stats) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 10 | |||||||||||||
 Russia (stats) | — | — | — | — | — | Part ofSoviet Union | [g] | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
 Serbia (stats) | — | — | — | Part ofYugoslavia | P. ofFRY /SCG | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
 Serbia and Montenegro† (stats) | — | — | — | — | Part ofYugoslavia | SeeFRY | 2 | Defunct | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
 Slovakia | — | — | — | — | Part ofCzechoslovakia | 12 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soviet Union†[i] (stats) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | 3 | Defunct | 9 | ||||||||
| Spain (stats) | — | — | — | 7 | 10 | 9 | — | 8 | 8 | — | 9 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 19 | |||||
| Sweden (stats) | — | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Switzerland | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | — | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Ukraine | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Part ofSoviet Union | [g] | 12 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
 Unified Team†[g] (stats) | — | — | — | — | — | Part ofSoviet Union | 3 | Defunct | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
 United Team of Germany† (stats) | See Germany | 6 | 6 | 6 | SeeFRG andGDR | See Germany | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Germany† (stats) | Part of Germany | P. ofEUA | 10 | 4 | 6 | — | 3 | 4 | Part of Germany | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Yugoslavia† (stats) | — | — | — | — | 10 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Defunct | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Yugoslavia†[h] (stats) | — | — | — | — | Part ofYugoslavia | — | 8 | 3 | Defunct | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (stats) | — | — | 18 | 19 | 9 | 15 | 10 | [j] | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 18 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total teams | 7 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 10 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
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
| Rk | Men's team[5] | Total | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary | 18 | 9 (1932, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2008) | 3 (1928, 1948, 1972) | 4 (1960, 1968, 1980, 2020) | 2 (1996, 2024) | 1928 | 2024 |
| 2 | Italy | 11 | 3 (1948,1960*, 1992) | 2 (1976, 2012) | 3 (1952, 1996, 2016) | 3 (1956, 1964, 1968) | 1948 | 2016 |
| 3 | United States | 10 | 3 (1984*, 1988, 2008) | 4 (1924,1932*, 1972, 2024) | 3 (1920, 1952, 1992) | 1920 | 2024 | |
| 4 | Yugoslavia† | 8 | 3 (1968, 1984, 1988) | 4 (1952, 1956, 1964, 1980) | 1 (1960) | 1952 | 1988 | |
| 5 | Soviet Union† | 7 | 2 (1972,1980*) | 2 (1960, 1968) | 3 (1956, 1964, 1988) | 1956 | 1988 | |
| 6 | Belgium | 7 | 4 (1900, 1908,1920*, 1924) | 2 (1912, 1936) | 1 (1948) | 1900 | 1948 | |
| 7 | Spain | 6 | 1 (1996) | 1 (1992*) | 4 (1980, 1984, 2000, 2020) | 1980 | 2020 | |
| 8 | Great Britain | 5 | 4 (1900,1908*, 1912, 1920) | 1 (1928) | 1900 | 1928 | ||
| 9 | France | 5 | 1 (1924*) | 3 (1900*×2,[d] 1928) | 1 (1936) | 1900 | 1936 | |
| 10 | Serbia | 5 | 3 (2016, 2020, 2024) | 2 (2008, 2012) | 2008 | 2024 | ||
| 11 | Croatia | 4 | 1 (2012) | 3 (1996, 2016, 2024) | 1996 | 2024 | ||
| 12 | Sweden | 4 | 1 (1912*) | 2 (1908, 1920) | 1 (1924) | 1908 | 1924 | |
| 13 | Germany | 3 | 1 (1928) | 2 (1932,1936*) | 1928 | 1936 | ||
| 14 | Netherlands | 3 | 2 (1948, 1976) | 1 (1908) | 1908 | 1976 | ||
| 15 | West Germany† | 3 | 1 (1984) | 2 (1972*, 1988) | 1972 | 1988 | ||
| 16 | Montenegro | 3 | 3 (2008, 2012, 2016) | 2008 | 2016 | |||
| 17 | Russia | 2 | 1 (2000) | 1 (2004) | 2000 | 2004 | ||
| 18 | Greece | 2 | 1 (2020) | 1 (2004*) | 2004 | 2020 | ||
| 19 | Serbia and Montenegro† | 1 | 1 (2004) | 2004 | 2004 | |||
| 20 | Yugoslavia†[h] | 1 | 1 (2000) | 2000 | 2000 | |||
| Unified Team†[g] | 1 (1992) | 1992 | 1992 | |||||
| 22 | Austria | 1 | 1 (1912) | 1912 | 1912 | |||
| Japan | 1 (1932) | 1932 | 1932 | |||||
| Romania | 1 (1976) | 1976 | 1976 | |||||
| Rk | Men's team | Total | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | First | Last |
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]
| Rank | Men's team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary (HUN) | 9 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| 2 | Yugoslavia (YUG)† | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 3 | Italy (ITA) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | Serbia (SRB) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Great Britain (GBR)[k] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Soviet Union (URS)† | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 | United States (USA)[l] | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 8 | Croatia (CRO) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Spain (ESP) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | France (FRA)[d] | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Mixed team (ZZX)† | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 14 | Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 15 | Russia (RUS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)†[h] | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 17 | Greece (GRE) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 19 | Unified Team (EUN)†[g] | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| West Germany (FRG)† | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (20 entries) | 29 | 29 | 30 | 88 | |
Champions (results)
The following table shows results of Olympic champions in men's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 8 August 2021.
Legend
Abbreviation
| # | Men's tournament | Champions | MP | W | D | L | Win % | GF | GA | GD | GF/MP | GA/MP | GD/MP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 1900 | Great Britain (1st title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 29 | 3 | 26 | 9.667 | 1.000 | 8.667 |
| 2 | St. Louis 1904 | Water polo was a demonstration sport | |||||||||||
| 3 | London 1908 | Great Britain (2nd title) | 1[e] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 9 | 2 | 7 | 9.000 | 2.000 | 7.000 |
| 4 | Stockholm 1912 | Great Britain (3rd title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 21 | 8 | 13 | 7.000 | 2.667 | 4.333 |
| 5 | Antwerp 1920 | Great Britain (4th title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 19 | 4 | 15 | 6.333 | 1.333 | 5.000 |
| 6 | Paris 1924 | France (1st title) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 16 | 6 | 10 | 4.000 | 1.500 | 2.500 |
| 7 | Amsterdam 1928 | Germany (1st title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 18 | 10 | 8 | 6.000 | 3.333 | 2.667 |
| 8 | Los Angeles 1932 |  Hungary (1st title) | 3[a] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 30 | 2 | 28 | 10.000 | 0.667 | 9.333 |
| 9 | Berlin 1936 | Hungary (2nd title) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 44 | 4 | 40 | 6.286 | 0.571 | 5.714 |
| 10 | London 1948 | Italy (1st title) | 7[b] | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 35 | 14 | 21 | 5.000 | 2.000 | 3.000 |
| 11 | Helsinki 1952 |  Hungary (3rd title) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75.0% | 53 | 16 | 37 | 6.625 | 2.000 | 4.625 |
| 12 | Melbourne 1956 |  Hungary (4th title) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 26 | 4 | 22 | 4.333 | 0.667 | 3.667 |
| 13 | Rome 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 31 | 12 | 19 | 4.429 | 1.714 | 2.714 |
| 14 | Tokyo 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.3% | 34 | 13 | 21 | 5.667 | 2.167 | 3.500 |
| 15 | Mexico City 1968 | Yugoslavia† (1st title) | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 77.8% | 86 | 35 | 51 | 9.556 | 3.889 | 5.667 |
| 16 | Munich 1972 | Soviet Union† (1st title) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75.0% | 48 | 24 | 24 | 6.000 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| 17 | Montreal 1976 | Hungary (6th title) | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 87.5% | 45 | 32 | 13 | 5.625 | 4.000 | 1.625 |
| 18 | Moscow 1980 | Soviet Union† (2nd title) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 58 | 31 | 27 | 7.250 | 3.875 | 3.375 |
| 19 | Los Angeles 1984 | Yugoslavia† (2nd title) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 72 | 44 | 28 | 10.286 | 6.286 | 4.000 |
| 20 | Seoul 1988 | Yugoslavia† (3rd title) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 85.7% | 83 | 55 | 28 | 11.857 | 7.857 | 4.000 |
| 21 | Barcelona 1992 | Italy (3rd title) | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 71.4% | 59 | 50 | 9 | 8.429 | 7.143 | 1.286 |
| 22 | Atlanta 1996 | Spain (1st title) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75.0% | 58 | 48 | 10 | 7.250 | 6.000 | 1.250 |
| 23 | Sydney 2000 | Hungary (7th title) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75.0% | 78 | 57 | 21 | 9.750 | 7.125 | 2.625 |
| 24 | Athens 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 59 | 39 | 20 | 8.429 | 5.571 | 2.857 |
| 25 | Beijing 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 85 | 55 | 30 | 12.143 | 7.857 | 4.286 |
| 26 | London 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 73 | 42 | 31 | 9.125 | 5.250 | 3.875 |
| 27 | Rio 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 62.5% | 80 | 66 | 14 | 10.000 | 8.250 | 1.750 |
| 28 | Tokyo 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75.0% | 103 | 71 | 32 | 12.875 | 8.875 | 4.000 |
| 29 | Paris 2024 | Serbia (3rd title) | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 62.5% | 93 | 91 | 2 | 11.625 | 11.375 | 0.250 |
| # | Men's tournament | Total | 177 | 148 | 16 | 12 | 84.2% | 1445 | 838 | 607 | 7.638 | 4.734 | 3.429 |
| Champions | MP | W | D | L | Win % | GF | GA | GD | GF/MP | GA/MP | GD/MP | ||
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
| # | Men's tournament | Champions | Players | Returning Olympians | Average | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Number | % | Age | Height | Weight | |||
| 1 | Paris 1900 | Great Britain (1st title) | 7 | 0 | 0.0% | |||
| 2 | St. Louis 1904 | Water polo was a demonstration sport | ||||||
| 3 | London 1908 | Great Britain (2nd title) | 7 | 0 | 0.0% | 26 years, 111 days | ||
| 4 | Stockholm 1912 | Great Britain (3rd title) | 7 | 4 | 57.1% | 29 years, 16 days | ||
| 5 | Antwerp 1920 | Great Britain (4th title) | 7 | 3 | 42.9% | 33 years, 279 days | ||
| 6 | Paris 1924 | France (1st title) | 7 | 3 | 42.9% | 26 years, 303 days | ||
| 7 | Amsterdam 1928 | Germany (1st title) | 8 | 0 | 0.0% | 24 years, 329 days | ||
| 8 | Los Angeles 1932 | Hungary (1st title) | 10 | 7 | 70.0% | 27 years, 291 days | ||
| 9 | Berlin 1936 | Hungary (2nd title) | 11 | 5 | 45.5% | 26 years, 66 days | ||
| 10 | London 1948 | Italy (1st title) | 9 | 0 | 0.0% | 30 years, 203 days | ||
| 11 | Helsinki 1952 | Hungary (3rd title) | 13 | 6 | 46.2% | 26 years, 337 days | ||
| 12 | Melbourne 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 12 | 7 | 58.3% | 26 years, 148 days | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[m] | 80 kg (176 lb)[n] |
| 13 | Rome 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 12 | 3 | 25.0% | 22 years, 363 days | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) |
| 14 | Tokyo 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | 12 | 10 | 83.3% | 28 years, 208 days | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) |
| 15 | Mexico City 1968 | Yugoslavia† (1st title) | 11 | 5 | 45.5% | 26 years, 151 days | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 94 kg (207 lb) |
| 16 | Munich 1972 | Soviet Union† (1st title) | 11 | 5 | 45.5% | 26 years, 351 days | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) |
| 17 | Montreal 1976 | Hungary (6th title) | 11 | 6 | 54.5% | 25 years, 333 days | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) |
| 18 | Moscow 1980 | Soviet Union† (2nd title) | 11 | 4 | 36.4% | 25 years, 117 days | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) |
| 19 | Los Angeles 1984 | Yugoslavia† (2nd title) | 13 | 3 | 23.1% | 23 years, 362 days | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 92 kg (203 lb) |
| 20 | Seoul 1988 | Yugoslavia† (3rd title) | 13 | 6 | 46.2% | 23 years, 341 days | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 94 kg (207 lb) |
| 21 | Barcelona 1992 | Italy (3rd title) | 13 | 7 | 53.8% | 26 years, 224 days | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[o] | 81 kg (179 lb)[p] |
| 22 | Atlanta 1996 | Spain (1st title) | 13 | 9 | 69.2% | 26 years, 279 days | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) |
| 23 | Sydney 2000 | Hungary (7th title) | 13 | 5 | 38.5% | 25 years, 254 days | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 93 kg (205 lb) |
| 24 | Athens 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 13 | 10 | 76.9% | 27 years, 344 days | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 96 kg (212 lb) |
| 25 | Beijing 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 13 | 9 | 69.2% | 29 years, 248 days | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
| 26 | London 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 13 | 8 | 61.5% | 29 years, 85 days | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | 102 kg (225 lb) |
| 27 | Rio 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | 13 | 9 | 69.2% | 28 years, 205 days | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 96 kg (212 lb) |
| 28 | Tokyo 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 13 | 10 | 76.9% | 31 years, 250 days | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| # | Men's tournament | Champions | Number | Number | % | Age | Height | Weight |
| Players | Returning Olympians | Average | ||||||
Sources:
| 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 |
_(cropped).jpg)
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 atfive or more Olympic Games between 1900 and 2020 inclusive.Paul Radmilovic, representing Great Britain, is thefirst water polo player to compete at five Olympics (1908–1928).[17]
Four players (Manuel Estiarte,Salvador Gómez,Jesús Rollán andJordi Sans) were all members of theSpain men's national water polo team (1988–2000).Manuel Estiarte is thefirst and only water polo player (man or woman) to compete atsix Olympics (1980–2000).[18]Jesús Rollán is thefirst water pologoalkeeper 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 goalkeeperStefano Tempesti competed at five Olympics between 2000 and 2016.[21]
Legend and abbreviation
| Apps | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Ref | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | G | S | B | T | ||||||||
| 6 | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Spain | FP | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 20 years (18/38) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [18] |
| 5 | Paul Radmilovic | 1886 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Great Britain | FP | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 20 years (22/42) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [17] | |
| Dezső Gyarmati | 1927 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | FP | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | [22] | ||
| Gianni De Magistris | 1950 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Italy | FP | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 16 years (17/33) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | [23] | ||
| Jordi Sans | 1965 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Spain | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 16 years (18/35) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [24] | ||
| George Mavrotas | 1967 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | Greece | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 16 years (17/33) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [25] | ||
| Salvador Gómez | 1968 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Spain | FP | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 16 years (20/36) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [26] | ||
| Jesús Rollán | 1968 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Spain | GK | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 16 years (20/36) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [19] | ||
| Tibor Benedek | 1972 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Hungary | FP | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [27] | ||
| Igor Hinić | 1975 | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | Croatia | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 16 years (20/36) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [28] | ||
| Tamás Kásás | 1976 | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | Hungary | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [29] | ||
| Georgios Afroudakis | 1976 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Greece | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 16 years (19/35) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [30] | ||
| Stefano Tempesti | 1979 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Italy | GK | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 16 years (21/37) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | [21] | ||
| Tony Azevedo | 1981 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | United States | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 16 years (18/34) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | [20] | ||
| Jesse Smith | 1983 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | United States | FP | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 17 years (21/38) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | [31] | ||
| Xavier García | 1984 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Spain | FP | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 17 years (20/37) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | [32] | ||||
| Croatia | FP | 2016 | 2020 | ||||||||||||||
| Pietro Figlioli | 1984 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Australia | FP | 2004 | 2008 | 17 years (20/37) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | [33] | |||||
| Italy | FP | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Apps | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| Water polo tournaments | Medals | ||||||||||||||||
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 wonfour or more Olympic medals in water polo. Among them, seven were members of theHungary men's national water polo team.Dezső Gyarmati is thefirst and only athlete (man or woman) to winfive Olympic medals in water polo (three gold, one silver and one bronze).[22]
Filip Filipović,Duško Pijetlović andAndrija Prlainović, all representing Serbia, won four consecutive Olympic medals between 2008 and 2021.[34][35][36]
Legend
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | G | S | B | T | ||||||||
| 1 | Dezső Gyarmati | 1927 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | FP | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | [22] |
| 2 | György Kárpáti | 1935 | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | Hungary | FP | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 12 years (17/29) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | [37] | |
| Dušan Mandić | 1994 | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | Serbia | FP | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | 12 years (18/30) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | [38] | ||
| 4 | László Jeney | 1923 | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | Hungary | GK | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 12 years (25/37) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | [39] | |
| 5 | Mihály Mayer | 1933 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | FP | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 12 years (22/34) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | [40] | |
| Filip Filipović | 1987 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Serbia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (21/34) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | [34] | ||
| Duško Pijetlović | 1985 | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | Serbia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (23/36) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | [35] | ||
| Andrija Prlainović | 1987 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Serbia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (21/34) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | [36] | ||
| 9 | András Bodnár | 1942 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Hungary | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 12 years (18/30) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | [41] | |
| Endre Molnár | 1945 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | GK | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 12 years (23/35) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | [42] | ||
| István Szívós Jr. | 1948 | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | Hungary | FP | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 12 years (20/32) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | [43] | ||
| 12 | Joseph Pletincx | 1888 | Belgium | FP | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | 16 years (20/36) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | [44] | ||
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| Water polo tournaments | Medals | |||||||||||||||
Sources:
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 wonthree or more Olympic gold medals in water polo. Six players (Tibor Benedek,Péter Biros,Tamás Kásás,Gergely Kiss,Tamás Molnár andZoltán Szécsi) were all members of theHungary men's national water polo team that wonthree consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2004 and 2008.[27][45][29][46][47][48]
There are thirty-one male athletes whowon two Olympic gold medals in water polo.
Legend
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | G | S | B | T | ||||||||
| 1 | Dezső Gyarmati | 1927 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | FP | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | [22] |
| 2 | György Kárpáti | 1935 | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | Hungary | FP | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 12 years (17/29) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | [37] | |
| Dušan Mandić | 1994 | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | Serbia | FP | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | 12 years (18/30) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | [38] | ||
| 4 | Paul Radmilovic | 1886 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Great Britain | FP | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 20 years (22/42) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [17] |
| Charles Smith | 1879 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Great Britain | GK | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | 16 years (29/45) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [49] | ||
| Tibor Benedek | 1972 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Hungary | FP | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [27] | |
| Péter Biros | 1976 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Hungary | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (24/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [45] | ||
| Tamás Kásás | 1976 | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | Hungary | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [29] | |
| Gergely Kiss | 1977 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Hungary | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (22/34) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [46] | ||
| Tamás Molnár | 1975 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | Hungary | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 8 years (25/33) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [47] | |||
| Zoltán Szécsi | 1977 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Hungary | GK | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (22/34) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [48] | ||
| Nikola Jakšić | 1997 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Serbia | FP | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | 8 years (19/27) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [50] | |||
| Sava Ranđelović | 1993 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | Serbia | FP | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | 8 years (23/31) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [51] | |||
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| Water polo tournaments | Medals | |||||||||||||||
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: 1 April 2021.
Five male players have scored 25 or more goals in an Olympic water polo tournament.
SpaniardManuel Estiarte is the first and only water polo player to achieve this feat twice. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, Estiarte netted34 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 wasAlessandro Calcaterra, withItaly men's national team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[53]
Legend
| Rk | Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1984 | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 22 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 34 | 7 | 4.857 | Spain | 4th of 12 teams | [52] |
| 2 | 1968 | Nico van der Voet | 1944 | 24 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 33 | 9 | 3.667 | Netherlands | 7th of 15 teams | [54] | |
| 3 | 1968 | Eraldo Pizzo | 1938 | 30 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 29 | 9 | 3.222 | Italy | 4th of 15 teams | [55] |
| 4 | 1988 | Manuel Estiarte (2) | 1961 | 26 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 27 | 7 | 3.857 | Spain | 6th of 12 teams | [52] |
| 2008 | Alessandro Calcaterra | 1975 | 33 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 27 | 8 | 3.375 | Italy | 9th of 12 teams | [53] | |
| 6 | 1968 | Rubén Junco | 1950 | 18 | 1.54 m (5 ft 1 in) | 26 | 8 | 3.250 | Cuba | 8th of 15 teams | [56] | |
| Rk | Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
Sources:
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 playerNico 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]
Hungarianleft-handed playerTibor 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-oldIstván 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-oldAlessandro Calcaterra of Italy netted 27 goals in Beijing.[53]
Left-handerFilip 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
| Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | John Jarvis‡ | 1872 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 6.000 | Great Britain | 1st of 7 teams | [62] | ||
| 1908 | Fernand Feyaerts | 1880 | 27–28 | 8 | 3 | 2.667 | Belgium | 2nd of 4 teams | [63] | ||
| 1912 | Robert Andersson | 1886 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 2.250 | Sweden | 2nd of 6 teams | [64] | ||
| 1920 | Erik Andersson | 1896 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 2.500 | Sweden | 3rd of 12 teams | [65] | ||
| 1924 | Pierre Dewin | 1894 | 29–30 | 14 | 5 | 2.800 | Belgium | 2nd of 13 teams | [66] | ||
| 1928 | Ferenc Keserű | 1903 | 24 | 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) | 10 | 4 | 2.500 | Hungary | 2nd of 14 teams | [67] | |
| 1932 | Philip Daubenspeck | 1905 | 26 | 14 | 4 | 3.500 | United States | 3rd of 5 teams | [68] | ||
| 1936 | Hans Schneider | 1909 | 26 | 22 | 7 | 3.143 | Germany | 2nd of 16 teams | [57] | ||
| 1948 | Aldo Ghira‡ | 1920 | 28 | 18[b] | 7[b] | 2.571 | Italy | 1st of 18 teams | [69] | ||
| 1952 | Ruud van Feggelen | 1924 | 28 | 16[c] | 8[c] | 2.000 | Netherlands | 5th of 21 teams | [70] | ||
| István Szívós Sr.‡ | 1920 | 31 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | 16 | 8 | 2.000 | Hungary | 1st of 21 teams | [60] | |
| 1956 | Petre Mshvenieradze | 1929 | 27 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 11 | 7 | 1.571 | Soviet Union | 3rd of 10 teams | [71] | |
| 1960 | Fred Tisue | 1938 | 21 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 12 | 7 | 1.714 | United States | 7th of 16 teams | [72] | |
| Aurel Zahan | 1938 | 22 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 12 | 7 | 1.714 |  Romania | 5th of 16 teams | [73] | ||
| 1964 | Nico van der Voet | 1944 | 20 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 10 | 7 | 1.429 | Netherlands | 8ht of 13 teams | [54] | |
| 1968 | Nico van der Voet (2) | 1944 | 24 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 33 | 9 | 3.667 | Netherlands | 7th of 15 teams | [54] | |
| 1972 | Carlos Sánchez | 1952 | 20 | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | 18 | 9 | 2.000 | Cuba | 9th of 16 teams | [74] | |
| 1976 | Tamás Faragó‡ | 1952 | 23 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Right | 22 | 8 | 2.750 | Hungary | 1st of 12 teams | [75] |
| 1980 | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 18 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 21 | 8 | 2.625 | Spain | 4th of 12 teams | [52] |
| 1984 | Manuel Estiarte (2) | 1961 | 22 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 34 | 7 | 4.857 | Spain | 4th of 12 teams | [52] |
| 1988 | Manuel Estiarte (3) | 1961 | 26 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 27 | 7 | 3.857 | Spain | 6th of 12 teams | [52] |
| 1992 | Tibor Benedek | 1972 | 20 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Left | 22 | 7 | 3.143 | Hungary | 6th of 12 teams | [58] |
| Manuel Estiarte (4) | 1961 | 30 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 22 | 7 | 3.143 | Spain | 2nd of 12 teams | [52] | |
| 1996 | Tibor Benedek (2) | 1972 | 24 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Left | 19 | 8 | 2.375 | Hungary | 4th of 12 teams | [58] |
| 2000 | Aleksandar Šapić | 1978 | 22 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 18 | 8 | 2.250 | Yugoslavia | 3rd of 12 teams | [59] |
| 2004 | Aleksandar Šapić (2) | 1978 | 26 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 18 | 8 | 2.250 | Serbia and Montenegro | 2nd of 12 teams | [59] |
| 2008 | Alessandro Calcaterra | 1975 | 33 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 27 | 8 | 3.375 | Italy | 9th of 12 teams | [53] |
| 2012 | Andrija Prlainović | 1987 | 25 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 22 | 8 | 2.750 | Serbia | 3rd of 12 teams | [76] |
| 2016 | Filip Filipović‡ | 1987 | 29 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Left | 19 | 8 | 2.375 | Serbia | 1st of 12 teams | [61] |
| Guillermo Molina | 1984 | 32 | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Right | 19 | 8 | 2.375 | Spain | 7th of 12 teams | [77] | |
| Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
Sources:
Top goalscorers (all-time)
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 OlympianManuel Estiarte holds the record for the most goals scored by a water polo player in Olympic history, with127 goals, far more than any other player. At his first three Olympics (1980–1988), Estiarte netted 82 goals.[52]
Hungarianleft-handerTibor Benedek scored 65 goals at five Olympics (1992–2008),[58] and his teammateTamás 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 theItaly men's Olympic water polo team, with 59 goals (1968–1984).[80] His compatriotEraldo 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
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | L/R | Men's team | Total goals | Total matches played | Goals per match | Tournaments (goals) | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Ref | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | G | S | B | T | |||||||||||
| 1 | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | Spain | 127 | 45 | 2.822 | 1980 (21) | 1984 (34) | 1988 (27) | 1992 (22) | 1996 (13) | 2000 (10) | 20 years (18/38) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [52] |
| 2 | Tibor Benedek | 1972 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Left | Hungary | 65 | 37 | 1.757 | 1992 (22) | 1996 (19) | 2000 (9) | 2004 (5) | 2008 (10) | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [58] | |
| 3 | Aleksandar Šapić | 1978 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | Yugoslavia | 64 | 32 | 2.000 | 1996 (8) | 2000 (18) | 12 years (18/30) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | [59] | ||||
| Serbia and Montenegro | 2004 (18) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Serbia | 2008 (20) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Tony Azevedo | 1981 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | United States | 61 | 35 | 1.743 | 2000 (13) | 2004 (15) | 2008 (17) | 2012 (11) | 2016 (5) | 16 years (18/34) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | [79] | |
| 5 | Gianni De Magistris | 1950 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | Italy | 59 | 40 | 1.475 | 1968 (6) | 1972 (11) | 1976 (11) | 1980 (20) | 1984 (11) | 16 years (17/33) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | [80] | |
| 6 | Tamás Kásás | 1976 | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | Right | Hungary | 56 | 38 | 1.474 | 1996 (13) | 2000 (12) | 2004 (14) | 2008 (8) | 2012 (9) | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [78] | |
| 7 | Eraldo Pizzo | 1938 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | Italy | 53 | 29 | 1.828 | 1960 (7) | 1964 (5) | 1968 (29) | 1972 (12) | 12 years (22/34) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | [55] | ||
| 8 | Charles Turner | 1952 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | Australia | 50 | 23 | 2.174 | 1976 (15) | 1980 (17) | 1984 (18) | 8 years (23/31) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [81] | |||
Sources:
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.
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 blocked87 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
| Rk | Year | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | Saves | Shots | Eff % | MP | Saves per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012 | Stefano Tempesti | 1979 | 33 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | 87 | 147 | 59.2% | 8 | 10.875 | Italy | 2nd of 12 teams | [21] |
| 2 | 2012 | Josip Pavić‡ | 1982 | 30 | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 85 | 121 | 70.2% | 8 | 10.625 | Croatia | 1st of 12 teams | [82] |
| 3 | 2008 | Stefano Tempesti (2) | 1979 | 29 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | 83 | 169 | 49.1% | 8 | 10.375 | Italy | 9th of 12 teams | [21] |
| 4 | 1996 | Arie van de Bunt | 1969 | 27 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 | 154 | 52.6% | 8 | 10.125 | Netherlands | 10th of 12 teams | [83] |
| 2016 | Slobodan Soro | 1978 | 37 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 81 | 152 | 53.3% | 8 | 10.125 | Brazil | 8th of 12 teams | [84] | |
| 6 | 1996 | Christopher Duplanty | 1965 | 30 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 77 | 132 | 58.3% | 8 | 9.625 | United States | 7th of 12 teams | [85] |
| 1996 | Siniša Školneković | 1968 | 28 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | 77 | 135 | 57.0% | 8 | 9.625 | Croatia | 2nd of 12 teams | [86] | |
| 8 | 2012 | Slobodan Soro (2) | 1978 | 33 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 75 | 135 | 55.6% | 8 | 9.375 | Serbia | 3rd of 12 teams | [84] |
| Rk | Year | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | Saves | Shots | Eff % | MP | Saves per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
Sources:
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
| Year | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | Saves | Shots | Eff % | MP | Saves per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Arie van de Bunt | 1969 | 27 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 | 154 | 52.6% | 8 | 10.125 | Netherlands | 10th of 12 teams | [83] |
| 2000 | Dan Hackett | 1970 | 30 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | 70 | 135 | 51.9% | 8 | 8.750 | United States | 6th of 12 teams | [87] |
| 2004 | Nikolay Maksimov | 1972 | 31 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 62 | 104 | 59.6% | 8 | 7.750 | Russia | 3rd of 12 teams | [88] |
| 2008 | Stefano Tempesti | 1979 | 29 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | 83 | 169 | 49.1% | 8 | 10.375 | Italy | 9th of 12 teams | [21] |
| 2012 | Stefano Tempesti (2) | 1979 | 33 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | 87 | 147 | 59.2% | 8 | 10.875 | Italy | 2nd of 12 teams | [21] |
| 2016 | Slobodan Soro | 1978 | 37 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 81 | 152 | 53.3% | 8 | 10.125 | Brazil | 8th of 12 teams | [84] |
Sources:
Top goalkeepers (all-time)
| Rk | Rank | Ref | Reference | p. | page | pp. | pages |
|---|
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 winthree or more Olympic medals.
Ratko Rudić is themost 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 guidedYugoslavia 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, andCroatia men's national team to a gold medal in 2012, making him thefirst 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, theHungary men's national team won three gold in a row between 2000 and 2008, becoming the second water polo team to have an Olympicwinning 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 theSoviet Union men's national team to win an Olympic gold medal in 1980 and a bronze medal in 1988. Four years later, he coached theUnified Team to another bronze medal.[93]
Legend
| Rk | Head coach | Nationality | Birth | Age | Men's team | Tournaments (finish) | Period | Medals | Ref | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | G | S | B | T | ||||||||
| 1 | Ratko Rudić | Yugoslavia | 1948 | 36–40 | Yugoslavia | 1984 (1st) | 1988 (1st) | 32 years | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | [94] [89] [90] | |||||||
| Croatia | 44–52 | Italy | 1992 (1st) | 1996 (3rd) | 2000 (5th) | |||||||||||||||
| 56 | United States | 2004 (7th) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 60–64 | Croatia | 2008 (6th) | 2012 (1st) | |||||||||||||||||
| 68 | Brazil | 2016 (8th) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Dénes Kemény | Hungary | 1954 | 46–58 | Hungary | 2000 (1st) | 2004 (1st) | 2008 (1st) | 2012 (5th) | 12 years | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [91] | |||||
| 3 | Dezső Gyarmati | Hungary | 1927 | 44–52 | Hungary | 1972 (2nd) | 1976 (1st) | 1980 (3rd) | 8 years | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [22] [92] | ||||||
| 4 | Boris Popov | Soviet Union | 1941 | 39, 47 | Soviet Union | 1980 (1st) | 1988 (3rd) | 12 years | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | [95] [93] | |||||||
| Russia | 51 | Unified Team | 1992 (3rd) | |||||||||||||||||
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 theHungary 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 theNetherlands 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 theSoviet Union men's national water polo team to win an Olympic gold medal in 1972.[98]
SovietBoris 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 theUnified Team to a bronze medal in 1992.[93]
Aleksandr Kabanov of the Soviet Union won a gold at the Munich Olympics in 1972, coached byVladimir Semyonov. Eight years later, he won the second gold medal at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, coached byBoris Popov. As a head coach, he ledRussia 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 theUnited States men's national team to a silver in 2008, becoming the first and only non-European to achieve this feat.[101][102]
ItalianAlessandro Campagna won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, coached byRatko Rudić. As a head coach, he ledItaly 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 coachedSerbia men's national team to the Olympic title.[105]
Legend
| Rk | Person | Birth | Height | Player | Head coach | Total medals | Ref | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Men's team | Pos | Medal | Age | Men's team | Medal | G | S | B | T | |||||
| 1 | Dezső Gyarmati | 1927 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 20–36 | Hungary | FP | 1948 , 1952 ,1956 , 1960 ,1964 | 44–52 | Hungary | 1972, 1976, 1980 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | [22] [92] |
| 2 | Ratko Rudić | 1948 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 32 | Yugoslavia | FP | 1980 | 36–40 | Yugoslavia | 1984, 1988 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | [94] [89] [90] |
| 44–48 | Italy | 1992, 1996 | |||||||||||||
| 64 | Croatia | 2012 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Dejan Savić | 1975 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 25 | Yugoslavia | FP | 2000 | 41–46 | Serbia | 2016, 2020 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | [105] |
| 29 | Serbia and Montenegro | FP | 2004 | ||||||||||||
| 33 | Serbia | FP | 2008 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Aleksandr Kabanov | 1948 | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 24, 32 | Soviet Union | FP | 1972,1980* | 52–56 | Russia | 2000, 2004 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | [99] [100] |
| 5 | Vladimir Semyonov | 1938 | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | 22–30 | Soviet Union | FP | 1960, 1964, 1968 | 34 | Soviet Union | 1972 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | [98] |
| 6 | Boris Popov | 1941 | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 23 | Soviet Union | FP | 1964 | 39, 47 | Soviet Union | 1980*, 1988 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | [95] [93] |
| 51 | Unified Team | 1992 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Dezső Lemhényi | 1917 | 30–34 | Hungary | FP | 1948, 1952 | 42 | Hungary | 1960 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [106] [107] | |
| Ivo Trumbić | 1935 | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | 29–33 | Yugoslavia | FP | 1964, 1968 | 41 | Netherlands | 1976 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [96] [97] | |
| Alessandro Campagna | 1963 | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 29 | Italy | FP | 1992 | 49–53 | Italy | 2012, 2016 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [103] [104] | |
| 10 | Terry Schroeder | 1958 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 25–29 | United States | FP | 1984*, 1988 | 49 | United States | 2008 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | [101] [102] |
| 11 | Gianni Lonzi | 1938 | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 22 | Italy | FP | 1960* | 37 | Italy | 1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [108] [109] |
| 12 | Mario Majoni | 1910 | 38 | Italy | FP | 1948* | 42 | Italy | 1952 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | [110] [111] | |
| Rk | Person | Birth | Height | Age | Men's team | Pos | Medal | Age | Men's team | Medal | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| Player | Head coach | Total medals | |||||||||||||
| Year[5] | Hosts | Gold medal game | Bronze medal game | Number of teams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Score | Silver | Bronze | Score | 4th place | |||
| 2000 | Sydney | Australia | 4–3 | United States | Russia | 4–3 | Netherlands | 6 |
| 2004 | Athens | Italy | 10–9 (aet) | Greece | United States | 6–5 | Australia | 8 |
| 2008 | Beijing | Netherlands | 9–8 | United States | Australia | 9–9 (aet) (3–2) (ps) | Hungary | 8 |
| 2012 | London | United States | 8–5 | Spain | Australia | 13–11 (aet) | Hungary | 8 |
| 2016 | Rio | United States | 12–5 | Italy | Russia | 12–12 (7–6) (ps) | Hungary | 8 |
| 2020 | Tokyo | United States | 14–5 | Spain | Hungary | 11–9 |  ROC | 10 |
| 2024 | Paris | Spain | 11–9 | Australia | Netherlands | 11–10 | United States | 10 |
Sources:
This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation in each tournament.[5] Last updated: 7 August 2021.
| Confederation | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa –CANA | — | — | — | — | — | 10th | — |
| Americas –UANA | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 4th |
| Asia –AASF | 6th | 8th | 5th | 5th | 7th | 8th | 10th |
| Europe –LEN | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
| Oceania –OSA | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 6th | 5th | 2nd |
| Total teams | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Rk | Rank | Ref | Reference | p. | page | pp. | pages |
|---|
Note: Results of Olympic qualification tournaments are not included.
| Africa –CANA (1 team) | ||||||||
| Women's team[5] | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 10th | WD | 1 | |||||
| Americas –UANA (3 teams) | ||||||||
| Women's team[5] | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | Years |
| Brazil | 8th | 1 | ||||||
| Canada (stats) | 5th | 7th | 7th | 8th | 4 | |||
| United States (stats) | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 4th | 7 |
| Asia –AASF (3 teams) | ||||||||
| Women's team[5] | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | Years |
| China (stats) | 5th | 5th | 7th | 8th | 10th | 5 | ||
| Japan | 9th | 1 | ||||||
| Kazakhstan | 6th | 8th | 2 | |||||
| Europe –LEN (9 teams) | ||||||||
| Women's team[5] | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | Years |
| France | 9th | 1 | ||||||
| Great Britain | 8th | 1 | ||||||
| Greece (stats) | 2nd | 8th | 7th | 3 | ||||
| Hungary (stats) | 6th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 5th | 6 | |
| Italy (stats) | 1st | 6th | 7th | 2nd | 6th | 5 | ||
| Netherlands (stats) | 4th | 1st | 6th | 3rd | 4 | |||
| ROC (stats) | 4th | 1 | ||||||
| Russia (stats) | 3rd | 5th | 7th | 6th | 3rd | 5 | ||
| Spain (stats) | 2nd | 5th | 2nd | 1st | 4 | |||
| Oceania –OSA (1 team) | ||||||||
| Women's team[5] | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | Years |
| Australia (stats) | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 6th | 5th | 2nd | 7 |
| Total teams | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | |
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.
| Rk | Women's team[5] | Total | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 6 | 3 (2012, 2016, 2020) | 2 (2000, 2008) | 1 (2004) | 1 (2024) | 2000 | 2024 |
| 2 | Australia | 5 | 1 (2000*) | 1 (2024) | 3 (2008, 2012) | 1 (2004) | 2000 | 2024 |
| 3 | Hungary | 4 | 1 (2020) | 3 (2008, 2012, 2016) | 2008 | 2020 | ||
| 4 | Spain | 3 | 1 (2024) | 2 (2012, 2020) | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| 5 | Netherlands | 3 | 1 (2008) | 1 (2024) | 1 (2000) | 2000 | 2024 | |
| 6 | Italy | 2 | 1 (2004) | 1 (2016) | 2004 | 2016 | ||
| 7 | Russia | 2 | 2 (2000, 2016) | 2000 | 2016 | |||
| 8 | Greece | 1 | 1 (2004*) | 2004 | 2004 | |||
| 9 | ROC | 1 | 1 (2020) | 2020 | 2020 | |||
| Rk | Women's team | Total | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | First | Last |
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.
TheUnited States is the most successful country in the women's Olympic water polo tournament, with three gold, two silver and one bronze.[5]
| Rank | Women's team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Spain (ESP) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Australia (AUS) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Italy (ITA) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Greece (GRE) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Russia (RUS) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Hungary (HUN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (8 entries) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | |
Champions (results)The following table shows results of Olympic champions in women's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 7 August 2021.
| # | Women's tournament | Champions | MP | W | D | L | Win % | GF | GA | GD | GF/MP | GA/MP | GD/MP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney 2000 | Australia (1st title) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 85.7% | 46 | 29 | 17 | 6.571 | 4.143 | 2.429 |
| 2 | Athens 2004 | Italy (1st title) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 83.3% | 44 | 33 | 11 | 7.333 | 5.500 | 1.833 |
| 3 | Beijing 2008 | Netherlands (1st title) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 66.7% | 57 | 53 | 4 | 9.500 | 8.833 | 0.667 |
| 4 | London 2012 | United States (1st title) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.3% | 58 | 48 | 10 | 9.667 | 8.000 | 1.667 |
| 5 | Rio 2016 | United States (2nd title) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 73 | 32 | 41 | 12.167 | 5.333 | 6.833 |
| 6 | Tokyo 2020 | United States (3rd title) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 85.7% | 109 | 47 | 62 | 15.571 | 6.714 | 8.857 |
| 7 | Paris 2024 | Spain (1st title) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 94 | 67 | 27 | 13.428 | 9.571 | 3.857 |
| # | Women's tournament | Total | 45 | 39 | 1 | 5 | 86.6% | 481 | 309 | 172 | 10.688 | 6.866 | 3.822 |
| Champions | MP | W | D | L | Win % | GF | GA | GD | GF/MP | GA/MP | GD/MP |
Sources:
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.
| # | Women's tournament | Champions | Players | Returning Olympians | Average | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Number | % | Age | Height | Weight | |||
| 1 | Sydney 2000 | Australia (1st title) | 13 | 0 | 0.0% | 26 years, 215 days | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 71 kg (157 lb) |
| 2 | Athens 2004 | Italy (1st title) | 13 | 0 | 0.0% | 28 years, 301 days | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 67 kg (148 lb) |
| 3 | Beijing 2008 | Netherlands (1st title) | 13 | 2 | 15.4% | 25 years, 248 days | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | 70 kg (154 lb) |
| 4 | London 2012 | United States (1st title) | 13 | 8 | 61.5% | 26 years, 96 days | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 77 kg (170 lb) |
| 5 | Rio 2016 | United States (2nd title) | 13 | 4 | 30.8% | 23 years, 200 days | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 77 kg (170 lb) |
| 6 | Tokyo 2020 | United States (3rd title) | 13 | 8 | 61.5% | 26 years, 33 days | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | |
| 6 | Paris 2024 | Spain (1st title) | 13 | 8 | 61.5% | |||
| # | Women's tournament | Champions | Number | Number | % | Age | Height | Weight |
| Players | Returning Olympians | Average | ||||||
Sources:
| 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 |
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 atfour or more Olympic Games between 2000 and 2020 inclusive.
| Apps | Player | Birth | Height | Women's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | G | S | B | T | ||||||||
| 4 | Heather Petri | 1978 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | United States | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (22/34) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | [112] | |
| Sofia Konukh | 1980 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Russia | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (20/32) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [113] | ||
| Brenda Villa | 1980 | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | United States | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (20/32) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | [114] | ||
| Tania Di Mario | 1979 | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | Italy | FP | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 12 years (25/37) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [115] | ||
| Bronwen Knox | 1986 | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | Australia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (22/35) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | [116] | ||
| Nadezhda Glyzina | 1988 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | Russia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 13 years (20/33) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [117] | |||
| ROC | FP | 2020 | ||||||||||||||
| Evgenia Soboleva | 1988 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Russia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 13 years (19/32) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [118] | |||
| ROC | FP | 2020 | ||||||||||||||
| Ekaterina Prokofyeva | 1991 | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | Russia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 13 years (17/30) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [119] | |||
| ROC | FP | 2020 | ||||||||||||||
| Apps | Player | Birth | Height | Women's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| Water polo tournaments | Medals | |||||||||||||||
.jpg)
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 andBrenda Villa, both representing the United States, are theonly two female athletes to winfour Olympic medals in water polo.[112][114]
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Women's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | G | S | B | T | ||||||||
| 1 | Heather Petri | 1978 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | United States | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (22/34) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | [112] | |
| Brenda Villa | 1980 | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | United States | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (20/32) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | [114] | ||
Sources:
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 wonthree or more Olympic gold medals in water polo. They were both members of theUnited States women's national water polo team that wonthree consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Women's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | G | S | B | T | ||||||||
| 1 | Melissa Seidemann | 1990 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | United States | FP | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 9 years (22/31) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [120] | ||
| Maggie Steffens | 1993 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | United States | FP | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 9 years (19/28) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [121] | |||
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, Dutchleft-handerSimone van de Kraats scored28 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.
| Rk | Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Women's team | Finish | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020 | Simone van de Kraats | 2000 | 20 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Left | 28 | 7 | 4.000 | Netherlands | 6th of 10 teams | [122] |
| 2 | 2012 | Maggie Steffens‡ | 1993 | 19 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Right | 21 | 6 | 3.500 | United States | 1st of 8 teams | [121] |
| 3 | 2012 | Ma Huanhuan | 1990 | 22 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 19 | 6 | 3.167 | China | 5th of 8 teams | [123] |
| 4 | 2012 | Tania Di Mario | 1979 | 33 | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | Right | 18 | 6 | 3.000 | Italy | 7th of 8 teams | [124] |
| 2020 | Maddie Musselman‡ | 1998 | 23 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Right | 18 | 7 | 2.571 | United States | 1st of 10 teams | [125] | |
| 2020 | Beatriz Ortiz | 1995 | 26 | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | Right | 18 | 7 | 2.571 | Spain | 2nd of 10 teams | [126] | |
| 2020 | Maggie Steffens‡ (2) | 1993 | 28 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Right | 18 | 7 | 2.571 | United States | 1st of 10 teams | [121] | |
| Rk | Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Women's team | Finish | Ref |
Source:
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 playerDaniëlle 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.
| Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Women's team | Finish | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Daniëlle de Bruijn | 1978 | 22 | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | Left | 11 | 7 | 1.571 | Netherlands | 4th of 6 teams | [127] |
| Bridgette Gusterson‡ | 1973 | 27 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Right | 7 | 1.571 | Australia | 1st of 6 teams | [128] | ||
| Sofia Konukh | 1980 | 20 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Right | 7 | 1.571 | Russia | 3rd of 6 teams | [129] | ||
| 2004 | Tania Di Mario‡ | 1979 | 25 | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | Right | 14 | 6 | 2.333 | Italy | 1st of 8 teams | [124] |
| 2008 | Daniëlle de Bruijn‡ (2) | 1978 | 30 | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | Left | 17 | 6 | 2.833 | Netherlands | 1st of 8 teams | [127] |
| 2012 | Maggie Steffens‡ | 1993 | 19 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Right | 21 | 6 | 3.500 | United States | 1st of 8 teams | [121] |
| 2016 | Maggie Steffens‡ (2) | 1993 | 23 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Right | 17 | 6 | 2.833 | United States | 1st of 8 teams | [121] |
| 2020 | Simone van de Kraats | 2000 | 20 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Left | 28 | 7 | 4.000 | Netherlands | 6th of 10 teams | [122] |
Source:
Top goalscorers (all-time)
.jpg)
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 OlympianMaggie Steffens of the United States holds the record for the most goals scored by a female water polo player in Olympic history, with56 goals.[130]
ItalianTania 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]
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | L/R | Women's team | Total goals | Total matches played | Goals per match | Tournaments (goals) | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Ref | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | G | S | B | T | |||||||||||
| 1 | Maggie Steffens | 1993 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Right | United States | 56 | 19 | 2.947 | 2012 (21) | 2016 (17) | 2020 (18) | 9 years (19/28) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [130] | |
| 2 | Tania Di Mario | 1979 | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | Right | Italy | 47 | 23 | 2.043 | 2004 (14) | 2008 (10) | 2012 (18) | 2016 (5) | 12 years (25/37) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [124] |
| 3 | Ma Huanhuan | 1990 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | China | 37 | 17 | 2.176 | 2008 (7) | 2012 (19) | 2016 (11) | 8 years (18/26) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [123] | |
| 4 | Sofia Konukh | 1980 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Right | Russia | 31 | 22 | 1.409 | 2000 (11) | 2004 (9) | 2008 (7) | 2012 (4) | 12 years (20/32) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [129] |
| 5 | Brenda Villa | 1980 | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | Right | United States | 31 | 23 | 1.348 | 2000 (9) | 2004 (7) | 2008 (9) | 2012 (6) | 12 years (20/32) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | [132] |
| 6 | Kate Gynther | 1982 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | Right | Australia | 30 | 17 | 1.765 | 2004 (7) | 2008 (13) | 2012 (10) | 8 years (22/30) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | [131] | |
Source:
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, blocking65 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.
| Rk | Year | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | Saves | Shots | Eff % | MP | Saves per match | Women's team | Finish | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016 | Giulia Gorlero | 1990 | 25 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 65 | 106 | 61.3% | 6 | 10.833 | Italy | 2nd of 8 teams | [133] |
| 2 | 2012 | Elena Gigli | 1985 | 27 | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 56 | 105 | 53.3% | 6 | 9.333 | Italy | 7th of 8 teams | [134] |
| 3 | 2016 | Yang Jun | 1988 | 28 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 55 | 118 | 46.6% | 6 | 9.167 | China | 7th of 8 teams | [135] |
| 4 | 2012 | Rosemary Morris | 1986 | 26 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 54 | 113 | 47.8% | 6 | 9.000 | Great Britain | 8th of 8 teams | [136] |
| 5 | 2012 | Elizabeth Armstrong‡ | 1983 | 29 | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 53 | 101 | 52.5% | 6 | 8.833 | United States | 1st of 8 teams | [137] |
| 6 | 2016 | Ashleigh Johnson‡ | 1994 | 21 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 51 | 79 | 64.6% | 6 | 8.500 | United States | 1st of 8 teams | [138] |
Source:
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.
| Year | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | Saves | Shots | Eff % | MP | Saves per match | Women's team | Finish | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Karla Plugge | 1968 | 31 | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 45 | 81 | 55.6% | 7 | 6.429 | Netherlands | 4th of 6 teams | [139] |
| 2004 | Jacqueline Frank | 1980 | 24 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 41 | 68 | 60.3% | 5 | 8.200 | United States | 3rd of 8 teams | [140] |
| 2008 | Elizabeth Armstrong | 1983 | 25 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 49 | 92 | 53.3% | 5 | 9.800 | United States | 2nd of 8 teams | [137] |
| 2012 | Elena Gigli | 1985 | 27 | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 56 | 105 | 53.3% | 6 | 9.333 | Italy | 7th of 8 teams | [134] |
| 2016 | Giulia Gorlero | 1990 | 25 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 65 | 106 | 61.3% | 6 | 10.833 | Italy | 2nd of 8 teams | [133] |
Source:
Top goalkeepers (all-time)
| Rk | Rank | Ref | Reference | p. | page | pp. | pages |
|---|
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 wintwo or more Olympic medals.
Guy Baker guided theUnited 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 guidedSpain women's national team to three Olympic medals between 2012 and 2024, including one gold.[144]
Greg McFadden ledAustralia women's national team to win two consecutive Olympic bronze medals in 2008 and 2012.[145]
| Rk | Head coach | Nationality | Birth | Age | Women's team | Tournaments (finish) | Period | Medals | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | G | S | B | T | |||||||||
| 1 | Adam Krikorian | United States | 1974 | 38–42 | United States | 2012 (1st) | 2016 (1st) | 2020 (1st) | | 12 years | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [143] [142] | ||
| 2 | Miki Oca | Spain | 1970 | 42–54 | Spain | 2012 (2nd) | 2020 (2nd) | 2024 (1st) | 12 years | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | [146] | ||
| 3 | Guy Baker | United States | United States | 2000 (2nd) | 2004 (3rd) | 2008 (2nd) | 8 years | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | [141] [142] | ||||
| 4 | Greg McFadden | Australia | 1964 | 43–51 | Australia | 2008 (3rd) | 2012 (3rd) | 2016 (6th) | 8 years | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | [147] [145] | ||
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 theHungary 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 theAustralia 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 playerMiki 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 guidedSpain 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]
| Rk | Person | Birth | Height | Player | Head coach | Total medals | Ref | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Men's team | Pos | Medal | Age | Women's team | Medal | G | S | B | T | |||||
| 1 | Miki Oca | 1970 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 22–26 | Spain | FP | 1992*, 1996 | 42 | Spain | 2024 2012, 2020 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | [146] |
| 2 | István Görgényi | 1946 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 25 | Hungary | FP | 1972 | 53 | Australia | 2000* | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [148] [149] |
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 theNOC (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 thewomen's team was Olympic champions in 2004.
| Rank | NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary◊ | 9 | 3 | 5 | 17 |
| 2 | United States◊[l] | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 |
| 3 | Italy◊ | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | Yugoslavia† | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | Serbia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 6 | Great Britain[k] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Spain◊ | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | Soviet Union† | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 9 | Croatia | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Germany | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | Netherlands◊ | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 12 |  Australia | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| France[d] | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 14 | Mixed team† | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 | Belgium | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 16 | Greece◊ | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 17 | Russia◊ | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 18 | Sweden | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 19 | Serbia and Montenegro† | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | Unified Team†[g] | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| West Germany† | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (21 entries) | 36 | 35 | 36 | 107 | |
As of the 2024 Summer Olympics, fourNOCs won two medals in one edition of the Games.
Legend
| Year | Nation | Men's tournament | Women's tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Russia | silver | bronze |
| 2004 | No NOC won both editions of the Year. | ||
| 2008 | United States | silver | silver |
| 2012 | No NOC won both editions of the Year. | ||
| 2016 | Italy | bronze | silver |
| 2020 | Hungary | bronze | bronze |
| 2024 | No NOC won both editions of the Year. | ||
Some sportspeople were chosen tocarry the national flag of their country at the opening and closingceremonies 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 OlympianManuel 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
| # | Year | Country | Flag bearer | Birth | Age | Height | Team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Ref | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | G | S | B | T | |||||||||||
| 1 | 1912 O | Great Britain | Charles Smith‡ | 1879 | 33 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Great Britain | GK | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | 16 years (29/45) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [49] | ||
| 2 | 1920 O | Belgium | Victor Boin | 1886 | 34 | Belgium | FP | 1908 | 1912 | 4 years (22/26) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | [153] | |||||
| 3 | 1924 O | Great Britain | Arthur Hunt | 1886 | 37 | Great Britain | FP | 1924 | 0 years (37/37) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [154] | ||||||
| 4 | 1928 O | France | Jean Thorailler | 1888 | 40 | France | GK | 1912 | 1920 | 8 years (24/32) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [155] | |||||
| 5 | 1948 O | Australia | Les McKay | 1917 | 31 | Australia | FP | 1948 | 0 years (31/31) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [156] | ||||||
| 6 | Yugoslavia | Božo Grkinić | 1913 | 34 | Yugoslavia | FP | 1948 | 0 years (34/34) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [157] | |||||||
| 7 | 1952 O |  Egypt | Ahmed Fouad Nessim | 1924 | 27 | Egypt | GK | 1948 | 1952 | 4 years (23/27) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [158] | |||||
| 8 | 1956 O |  Singapore | Lionel Chee | 1931 | 25 | Singapore | FP | 1956 | 0 years (25/25) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [159] | ||||||
| 9 | Yugoslavia | Zdravko-Ćiro Kovačić | 1925 | 31 | Yugoslavia | GK | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 8 years (23/31) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | [160] | |||||
| 10 | 1968 O | Brazil | João Gonçalves | 1934 | 33 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | Brazil | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 8 years (25/33) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [161] | |||
| 11 | Netherlands | Fred van Dorp | 1938 | 30 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Netherlands | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 8 years (21/30) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [162] | ||||
| 11 | 1968 C | Netherlands | Fred van Dorp | 1938 | 30 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Netherlands | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 8 years (21/30) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [162] | |||
| 12 | 1972 O | Yugoslavia | Mirko Sandić | 1942 | 30 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Yugoslavia | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 12 years (18/30) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [163] | ||
| 13 | 1976 C | Netherlands | Evert Kroon | 1946 | 29 | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | Netherlands | GK | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 8 years (22/29) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [164] | |||
| 14 | 1980 O | Hungary | István Szívós Sr. | 1920 | 59 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | FP | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 8 years (27/36) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | [165] | |||
| 15 | 1984 O | Netherlands | Ton Buunk | 1952 | 31 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Netherlands | FP | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 12 years (19/31) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [166] | ||
| 16 | 1988 C | United States | Terry Schroeder | 1958 | 29 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | United States | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 8 years (25/33) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | [101] | |||
| 17 | 1996 O | Croatia | Perica Bukić | 1966 | 30 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Yugoslavia | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 12 years (18/30) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | [167] | ||||
| Croatia | FP | 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | FR Yugoslavia | Igor Milanović | 1965 | 30 | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Yugoslavia | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 12 years (18/30) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | [168] | |||||
| Yugoslavia | FP | 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | 2000 O | Spain | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 38 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Spain | FP | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 20 years (18/38) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [18] |
| 20 | 2004 O | Croatia | Dubravko Šimenc | 1966 | 37 | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) | Yugoslavia | FP | 1988 | 16 years (21/37) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [169] | |||||
| Croatia | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | ||||||||||||||||
| 21 | 2004 C | Italy | Carmela Allucci‡ | 1970 | 34 | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | Italy | FP | 2004 | 0 years (34/34) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | [152] | |||||
| 22 | 2008 O | Montenegro | Veljko Uskoković | 1971 | 37 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Yugoslavia | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 12 years (25/37) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [170] | ||||
| Montenegro | FP | 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | 2008 C | Montenegro | Veljko Uskoković | 1971 | 37 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Yugoslavia | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 12 years (25/37) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | [170] | ||||
| Montenegro | FP | 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | 2012 O | Hungary | Péter Biros | 1976 | 36 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Hungary | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (24/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | [45] | ||
| 24 | 2016 O | Croatia | Josip Pavić | 1982 | 34 | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Croatia | GK | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 8 years (26/34) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [82] | |||
| 25 | 2016 C | Montenegro | Predrag Jokić | 1983 | 33 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Serbia and Montenegro | FP | 2004 | 12 years (21/33) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | [171] | |||||
| Montenegro | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | ||||||||||||||||
| 26 | 2020 O | Serbia | Filip Filipović‡ | 1987 | 34 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Serbia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (21/34) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | [34] | ||
| 27 | Montenegro | Draško Brguljan | 1984 | 36 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Montenegro | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (23/36) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [172] | |||
| 28 | 2020 C | Greece | Ioannis Fountoulis | 1988 | 33 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Greece | FP | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 9 years (24/33) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | [173] | |||
| 29 | Croatia | Andro Bušlje | 1986 | 35 | 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) | Croatia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (22/35) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [174] | |||
| 30 | Montenegro | Dušan Matković | 1999 | 22 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Montenegro | FP | 2020 | 0 years (22/22) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [175] | ||||||
Some sportspeople from the host nations were chosen to take theOlympic 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 poloreferee, took the Officials' Oath at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.[178]
As a water polo referee, AustralianPeter 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
| # | Year | Oath | Country | Oath taker | Birth | Age | Water polo tournament | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1920 | Athletes' Oath | Belgium | Victor Boin | 1886 | 34 | 1908 | 1912 | As player | [153] |
| 2 | 1992 | Officials' Oath | Spain | Eugeni Asensio | 1992 | As referee (official) | [178] | |||
| 3 | 2000 | Officials' Oath | Australia | Peter Kerr | 1996 | 2000 | As referee (official) | [179] | ||
| 4 | 2020 | Officials' Oath | Japan | Asumi Tsuzaki | 1989 | 32 | 2020 | As referee (official) | [180] | |
PDF documents in theLA84 Foundation Digital Library:
PDF documents in theLA84 Foundation Digital Library:
PDF documents on theFINA website:
PDF documents in theOlympic World Library:
PDF documents on theInternational Olympic Committee website:
PDF documents on the FINA website:
Water polo on theInternational Olympic Committee website:
Water polo on theSports Reference website:
Water polo on the Todor66 website:
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