Water polo at the Summer Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Water polo at the Summer Olympics
Governing body	FINA
Events	2 (men: 1; women: 1)
Games
1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Note: demonstration or exhibition sport years indicated in italics
Medalists
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

Water polo at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Water polo is an exciting team sport played in the water. It has been a part of the Summer Olympic Games since 1900. For a long time, only men's teams competed. But in 2000, women's water polo was added to the Olympics too!

The country with the most success in men's water polo is Hungary. For women's water polo, the United States has won the most gold medals. Interestingly, Italy is the only country that has won gold in both the men's and women's water polo tournaments.

History of Olympic Water Polo

Water polo final at the 1908 London Olympics

Water polo started as a team sport in England and Scotland in the mid-1800s. It quickly became popular. Men's water polo has been in almost every Summer Olympic Games since the very beginning, except for 1896. Women's water polo joined the Olympics in 2000.

Early Games

Men's water polo was one of the first team sports at the modern Olympic Games in 1900. Seven teams from four European countries competed. The team from Great Britain won the first gold medal.

In the 1904 Summer Olympics, only three club teams from the United States played. A German team wanted to join, but they couldn't because their players were not all from the same club. The games took place in a pond in Forest Park. At first, this event was not officially recognized. But in 2021, it was officially added to the 1904 Olympic program. Water polo was not played in the 1906 Olympics.

From 1908 to 1920, the Great Britain men's national water polo team was amazing! They won three gold medals in a row. This was the first time any water polo team had such a winning streak at the Olympics.

Hungary's Strong Teams

The Hungary men's national water polo team has played in 22 out of 27 Olympic tournaments. They have won a total of fifteen Olympic medals, including nine gold medals! From 1928 to 1980, Hungarian teams won medals in twelve Olympics in a row. Then, from 2000 to 2008, they won three more gold medals in a row. This made them the second team to have an Olympic winning streak in water polo.

The "Blood in the Water" Match

One of the most famous water polo matches ever is called the Blood in the Water match. It happened at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. It was a semi-final game between Hungary and the Soviet Union.

This match was played on December 6, 1956. Just before the games, the Hungarian revolution had started. The Soviet army had stopped the uprising. This made the game very intense. The match was rough and violent. Hungary was winning 4–0 when the game was stopped in the last minute. This was to prevent angry Hungarian fans from reacting to a Soviet player punching Hungarian player Ervin Zádor. Pictures of Zádor's injuries were seen all over the world. This is how the match got its famous name.

The Hungarian team went on to win the gold medal. They beat Yugoslavia 2–1 in the final game.

Women's Water Polo Joins the Olympics

Women's water polo became an Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Six countries competed in the first women's tournament. The home team, Australia, won the gold medal. They beat the United States in the final.

From 2012 to 2021, the United States women's team won three gold medals in a row. This made them the first women's water polo team to have an Olympic winning streak.

Where Water Polo is Played

Water polo is now popular in many countries around the world. It is especially big in Europe, including Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Spain. It is also popular in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.

As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, 51 countries from six continents have sent their water polo teams to the Olympic Games. Men's water polo teams from Europe have won all 27 official tournaments. Women's teams from Europe, North America, and Oceania have won all six gold medals. Teams from Africa, Asia, and South America have not yet won an Olympic medal.

Olympic Water Polo Venues

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

Many different places have hosted water polo at the Summer Olympics. So far, 34 venues have been used or will be used.

The first water polo competitions in 1900 were held in the Seine River in Paris. In 1904, the events took place in Forest Park in St. Louis.

The first time water polo was played somewhere other than a river or lake was at the 1908 London Olympics. It wasn't until the 1920 Olympics that a special place was made just for water sports. The 1948 Games were the first where water polo was played both indoors and in more than one location. The first time a water polo venue was completely separate from other water sports venues was at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

The Water Polo Arena for the 2012 London Olympics was the first venue built just for water polo at the Olympics. It was taken down after the games.

Olympic Water Polo Events

Water polo has been played at the Olympics for many years.

Notes

The X means the tournament was an official Olympic medal sport.

The bullet (•) means it was an unofficial sport.

How Teams Qualify and Play

Getting to the Olympics

Teams must qualify to play water polo at the Olympics. Since 2012, there are five main ways teams can qualify:

• The country hosting the Olympics automatically gets a spot.
• The top team from the FINA Water Polo World League can qualify.
• Up to three top teams from the World Aquatics Championships can qualify.
• The champions from five different continental tournaments (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania) can qualify.
• The last few spots are given out at a special World Qualification Tournament. Here, the best teams that haven't qualified yet compete for the remaining places.

Game Rules and Format

A water polo match has four quarters, each lasting eight minutes. If the score is tied after these four quarters, the teams have a penalty shootout to decide the winner. This involves 5 rounds, with extra rounds if it's still tied.

For the 2020 Olympics (which happened in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), both men's and women's tournaments followed a specific format:

• Group Stage: Teams are put into two groups. Each team plays every other team in their group once.
  • Teams get 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.
• Knockout Stage: The top four teams from each group move on to this stage.
  • This is a single-elimination tournament, meaning if you lose, you're out. It includes quarterfinals, semifinals, and then the matches for the gold and bronze medals.

Number of Players

In an Olympic water polo match, each team has 7 players in the pool at one time. For the whole tournament, teams can have a certain number of players on their roster. This number has changed a bit over the years. For the 2020 Olympics, both men's and women's teams could have 13 players on their team roster.

Men's Tournament Results

This table shows the winners of the men's water polo tournament at the Olympics.

#	Year	Hosts		Gold medal game				Bronze medal game				Number of teams
				Gold	Score	Silver		Bronze	Score	4th place
1	1900 Details	Paris		Great Britain (Mixed team) (Osborne Swimming Club)	7–2	Belgium (Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club)		France (Mixed team) (Libellule de Paris) France (Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #2)				7
2	1904 Details	St. Louis		Water polo was an unofficial sport				Water polo was an unofficial sport
3	1908 Details	London		Great Britain	9–2	Belgium		Sweden		Netherlands		4
4	1912 Details	Stockholm		Great Britain	8–0	Sweden		Belgium	5–4	Austria		6
5	1920 Details	Antwerp		Great Britain	3–2	Belgium		Sweden	5–0	United States		12
6	1924 Details	Paris		France	3–0	Belgium		United States	3–2	Sweden		13
7	1928 Details	Amsterdam		Germany	5–2	Hungary		France	8–1	Great Britain		14
8	1932 Details	Los Angeles		Hungary	Round-robin	Germany		United States	Round-robin	Japan		5
9	1936 Details	Berlin		Hungary	Round-robin	Germany		Belgium	Round-robin	France		16
10	1948 Details	London		Italy	Round-robin	Hungary		Netherlands	Round-robin	Belgium		18
11	1952 Details	Helsinki		Hungary	Round-robin	Yugoslavia		Italy	Round-robin	United States		21
12	1956 Details	Melbourne		Hungary	Round-robin	Yugoslavia		Soviet Union	Round-robin	Italy		10
13	1960 Details	Rome		Italy	Round-robin	Soviet Union		Hungary	Round-robin	Yugoslavia		16
14	1964 Details	Tokyo		Hungary	Round-robin	Yugoslavia		Soviet Union	Round-robin	Italy		13
15	1968 Details	Mexico City		Yugoslavia	13–11 (aet)	Soviet Union		Hungary	9–4	Italy		15
16	1972 Details	Munich		Soviet Union	Round-robin	Hungary		United States	Round-robin	West Germany		16
17	1976 Details	Montreal		Hungary	Round-robin	Italy		Netherlands	Round-robin	Romania		12
18	1980 Details	Moscow		Soviet Union	Round-robin	Yugoslavia		Hungary	Round-robin	Spain		12
19	1984 Details	Los Angeles		Yugoslavia	Round-robin	United States		West Germany	Round-robin	Spain		12
20	1988 Details	Seoul		Yugoslavia	9–7 (aet)	United States		Soviet Union	14–13	West Germany		12
21	1992 Details	Barcelona		Italy	9–8 (aet)	Spain		Unified Team	8–4	United States		12
22	1996 Details	Atlanta		Spain	7–5	Croatia		Italy	20–18 (aet)	Hungary		12
23	2000 Details	Sydney		Hungary	13–6	Russia		Yugoslavia	8–3	Spain		12
24	2004 Details	Athens		Hungary	8–7	Serbia and Montenegro		Russia	6–5	Greece		12
25	2008 Details	Beijing		Hungary	14–10	United States		Serbia	6–4	Montenegro		12
26	2012 Details	London		Croatia	8–6	Italy		Serbia	12–11	Montenegro		12
27	2016 Details	Rio		Serbia	11–7	Croatia		Italy	12–10	Montenegro		12
28	2020 Details	Tokyo		Serbia	13–10	Greece		Hungary	9–5	Spain		12
29	2024 Details	Paris										12

Women's Tournament Results

This table shows the winners of the women's water polo tournament at the Olympics.

#	Year	Hosts		Gold medal game				Bronze medal game				Number of teams
				Gold	Score	Silver		Bronze	Score	4th place
1	2000 Details	Sydney		Australia	4–3	United States		Russia	4–3	Netherlands		6
2	2004 Details	Athens		Italy	10–9 (aet)	Greece		United States	6–5	Australia		8
3	2008 Details	Beijing		Netherlands	9–8	United States		Australia	9–9 (aet) (3–2) (ps)	Hungary		8
4	2012 Details	London		United States	8–5	Spain		Australia	13–11 (aet)	Hungary		8
5	2016 Details	Rio		United States	12–5	Italy		Russia	12–12 (7–6) (ps)	Hungary		8
6	2020 Details	Tokyo		United States	14–5	Spain		Hungary	11–9	ROC		10
7	2024 Details	Paris										10

Overall Medal Count

This table shows which countries have won the most medals in Olympic water polo. It's sorted by gold, then silver, then bronze medals. The information is up to December 31, 2021.

Remember, Italy is the only country to win both the men's and women's water polo tournaments at the Summer Olympics. The Italian men's team won gold in 1948, 1960, and 1992. The women's team won gold in 2004.

Legend

• NOC^◊ – A country that won medals in both men's and women's tournaments.
• NOC^† – A country that no longer exists (like the Soviet Union).

Rank	NOC	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Hungary (HUN)◊	9	3	5	17
2	United States (USA)◊	4	6	5	15
3	Italy (ITA)◊	4	3	3	10
4	Yugoslavia (YUG)†	3	4	0	7
5	Great Britain (GBR)	3	0	0	3
6	Soviet Union (URS)†	2	2	3	7
7	Serbia (SRB)	2	0	2	4
8	Spain (ESP)◊	1	3	0	4
9	Croatia (CRO)	1	2	0	3
	Germany (GER)	1	2	0	3
11	Australia (AUS)	1	0	2	3
	France (FRA)	1	0	2	3
	Netherlands (NED)◊	1	0	2	3
14	Mixed team (ZZX)†	1	0	1	2
15	Belgium (BEL)	0	4	2	6
16	Greece (GRE)◊	0	2	0	2
17	Russia (RUS)◊	0	1	3	4
18	Sweden (SWE)	0	1	2	3
19	Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)†	0	1	1	2
20	Unified Team (EUN)†	0	0	1	1
	West Germany (FRG)†	0	0	1	1
Totals (21 entries)		34	34	35	103

Countries Winning Two Medals in One Olympics

As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, four countries have won two water polo medals in the same Olympic Games (one for men's and one for women's).

Legend

•     – The host country for that Olympics.

Year	Men's tournament				Women's tournament
	Gold	Silver	Bronze		Gold	Silver	Bronze
2000		Russia					Russia
2004
2008		United States				United States
2012
2016			Italy			Italy
2020			Hungary				Hungary

Water Polo Athletes at Ceremonies

Flag Bearers

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

Some water polo players have had the special honor of carrying their country's flag at the opening or closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games. As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, thirty water polo players from six continents have been flag bearers. Three of these flag bearers also won the water polo tournament with their team!

Charles Smith from Great Britain was the first water polo player to be a flag bearer at the Olympics.

Manuel Estiarte from Spain, who played in six Olympics, carried the flag at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

After winning gold in the women's tournament, Carmela Allucci, the captain of the Italian women's water polo team, carried Italy's flag at the closing ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. She was the first female water polo player to have this honor.

Legend

•  2008 O  – Opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics
•  2012 C  – Closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics
•     – The host country.
•  Flag bearer  – A female flag bearer.
• Flag bearer^‡ – A flag bearer who won the tournament with their team.

Water polo people who were flag bearers at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games

#	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
2	1920 O	Belgium	Victor Boin	1886	34		Belgium	FP	1908	1912					4 years (22/26)	0	1	1	2
3	1924 O	Great Britain	Arthur Hunt	1886	37		Great Britain	FP	1924						0 years (37/37)	0	0	0	0
4	1928 O	France	Jean Thorailler	1888	40		France	GK	1912	1920					8 years (24/32)	0	0	0	0
5	1948 O	Australia	Les McKay	1917	31		Australia	FP	1948						0 years (31/31)	0	0	0	0
6		Yugoslavia	Božo Grkinić	1913	34		Yugoslavia	FP	1948						0 years (34/34)	0	0	0	0
7	1952 O	Egypt	Ahmed Fouad Nessim	1924	27		Egypt	GK	1948	1952					4 years (23/27)	0	0	0	0
8	1956 O	Singapore	Lionel Chee	1931	25		Singapore	FP	1956						0 years (25/25)	0	0	0	0
9		Yugoslavia	Zdravko-Ćiro Kovačić	1925	31		Yugoslavia	GK	1948	1952	1956				8 years (23/31)	0	2	0	2
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
							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
							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
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
							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
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
							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
							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
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
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
							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
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
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
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
30		Montenegro	Dušan Matković	1999	22	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Montenegro	FP	2020						0 years (22/22)	0	0	0	0
#	Year	Country	Flag bearer	Birth	Age	Height	Team	Pos	1	2	3	4	5	6	Period (age of first/last)	G	S	B	T	Ref
									Water polo tournaments							Medals

Oath Takers

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

Some athletes and officials from the host countries are chosen to take the Olympic Oath at the opening ceremonies. This is a promise to compete fairly and respect the rules. As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, four people from water polo have had this honor.

Victor Boin from Belgium was an athlete who took the very first Olympic Oath at the 1920 Games in Antwerp.

Eugeni Asensio, a water polo referee from Spain, took the Officials' Oath at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Another water polo referee, Australian Peter Kerr, took the Officials' Oath at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Asumi Tsuzaki from Japan took the Officials' Oath at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She was the first female water polo referee to be given this honor.

Legend

•     – The host country.
•  Oath taker  – A female oath taker.
• Oath taker^‡ – An oath taker who won the tournament with their team.

Water polo people who were oath takers at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games

#	Year	Oath	Country	Oath taker	Birth	Age	Water polo tournament			Ref
1	1920	Athletes' Oath	Belgium	Victor Boin	1886	34	1908	1912	As player
2	1992	Officials' Oath	Spain	Eugeni Asensio			1992		As referee (official)
3	2000	Officials' Oath	Australia	Peter Kerr			1996	2000	As referee (official)
4	2020	Officials' Oath	Japan	Asumi Tsuzaki	1989	32	2020		As referee (official)

More About Water Polo

• Water polo at the World Aquatics Championships
• FINA Water Polo World Rankings
• List of water polo world medalists
• Major achievements in water polo by nation