Water polo at the Summer Olympics

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Water polo at the Summer Olympics
IOC Discipline CodeWPO
Governing bodyFINA
Events2 (men: 1; women: 1)
Games
Note: demonstration or exhibition sport years indicated in italics

Overall statistics (menwomen)
Champions (menwomen)
Team appearances (menwomen)
Player appearances (menwomen)
Top goalscorers (menwomen)
Goalkeepers (menwomen)
Flag bearers and oath takers
Venues
Water polo at the 2004 Summer Olympics

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

History[edit]

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

Beginnings[edit]

Water polo final at the 1908 London Olympics

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

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

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

Hungarian dominance[edit]

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

Blood in the Water match[edit]

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

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

Addition of women's program[edit]

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

From 2012 to 2021, 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.

Geography[edit]

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

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

Venues[edit]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

Events[edit]

Notes
The X indicates that the tournament was held as a full Olympic medal sport.
The bullet () denotes that it was contested as an unofficial sport.
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

Rules[edit]

Qualification Summary[edit]

Year M W
1900-1956 No Qualification No Tournament
1960 1960 Men's Qualification
1964 1964 Men's Qualification
1968 1968 Men's Qualification
1972 1972 Men's Qualification
1976 1976 Men's Qualification
1980 1980 Men's Qualification
1984 1984 Men's Qualification
1988 1988 Men's Qualification
1992 1992 Men's Qualification
1996 1996 Men's Qualification
2000 2000 Men's Qualification 2000 Women's Qualification
2004 2004 Men's Qualification 2004 Women's Qualification
2008 2008 Men's Qualification 2008 Women's Qualification
2012 2012 Men's Qualification 2012 Women's Qualification
2016 2016 Men's Qualification 2016 Women's Qualification
2020 2020 Men's Qualification 2020 Women's Qualification
2024 2024 Men's Qualification 2024 Women's Qualification
Total 17 7

Qualification[edit]

Since 2012, the qualifying process consists of five stages:

  1. The team of the host nation qualifies automatically.
  2. No more than one team qualifies as the top team in the FINA World League.
  3. No more than three teams qualify as the top teams in the World Aquatics Championships.
  4. No more than five teams qualify as the continental Olympic qualification tournament champions.
  5. No more than four teams qualify through a world qualifying tournament, in which the best teams which did not qualify directly from each continent compete for the remaining berths.
Men's qualification
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 Steady 1 Steady
3 World – FINA World Aquatics Championships 3 2 Decrease 2 Steady
4 Africa – CANA African Continental Selection 0 0 Steady 1 Increase
Americas – UANA Pan American Games 1 1 Steady 1 Steady
Asia – AASF Asian Water Polo Championship 1 1 Steady 1 Steady
Europe – LEN European Water Polo Championship 0 1 Increase 1 Steady
Oceania – OSA Oceanian Continental Selection 1 1 Steady 1 Steady
5 World – FINA World Qualification Tournament 4 4 Steady 3 Decrease
Total 12 Steady 12 Steady 12 Steady
Women's qualification
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 Steady 1 Increase
3 World – FINA World Aquatics Championships 0 0 Steady 1 Increase
4 Africa – CANA African Continental Selection 0 0 Steady 1 Increase
Americas – UANA Pan American Games 1 0 Decrease 1 Increase
Asia – AASF Asian Water Polo Championship 1 1 Steady 1 Steady
Europe – LEN European Water Polo Championship 0 1 Increase 1 Steady
Oceania – OSA Oceanian Continental Selection 1 1 Steady 1 Steady
5 World – FINA World Qualification Tournament 4 4 Steady 2 Decrease
Total 8 8 Steady 10 Increase

Players[edit]

Eligibility[edit]

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

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

Competition format[edit]

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

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

Men's tournament
# 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 Decrease 2 matches Decrease
3 1908 15–22 July 4 teams Increase 4 matches Increase
4 1912 7–16 July 6 teams Increase 10 matches Increase
5 1920 22–29 August 12 teams Increase 19 matches Increase Single-elimination tournament with Bergvall system for second- and third-place
6 1924 13–20 July 13 teams Increase 19 matches Steady
7 1928 4–11 August 14 teams Increase 18 matches Decrease Single-elimination tournament with Bergvall system for third place
8 1932 4–13 August 5 teams Decrease 6 matches[a] Decrease Round-robin tournament
9 1936 8–15 August 16 teams Increase 40 matches Increase 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 Increase 40 matches[b] Steady 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 Increase 56 matches[c] Increase 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 Decrease 29 matches Decrease Round-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool
13 1960 25 August – 3 September 16 teams Increase 40 matches Increase 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 Decrease 31 matches Decrease
15 1968 14–26 October 15 teams Increase 63 matches Increase Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
16 1972 27 August – 4 September 16 teams Increase 59 matches Decrease Round-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool
17 1976 18–27 July 12 teams Decrease 48 matches Decrease
18 1980 20–29 July 12 teams Steady 48 matches Steady
19 1984 1–10 August 12 teams Steady 42 matches Decrease
20 1988 21 September – 1 October 12 teams Steady 42 matches Steady Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
21 1992 1–9 August 12 teams Steady 42 matches Steady
22 1996 20–28 July 12 teams Steady 48 matches Increase
23 2000 23 September – 1 October 12 teams Steady 48 matches Steady
24 2004 15–29 August 12 teams Steady 44 matches Decrease
25 2008 10–24 August 12 teams Steady 44 matches Steady
26 2012 29 July – 12 August 12 teams Steady 42 matches Decrease
27 2016 6–20 August 12 teams Steady 42 matches Steady
28 2020 25 July – 8 August 2021[11] 12 teams Steady 42 matches Steady
# Year Dates Teams Matches Competition format
Number of
Women's tournament
# Year Dates Number of Competition format
Teams Matches
1 2000 16–23 September 6 teams 20 matches Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
2 2004 16–26 August 8 teams Increase 20 matches Steady
3 2008 11–21 August 8 teams Steady 20 matches Steady
4 2012 30 July – 9 August 8 teams Steady 24 matches Increase
5 2016 9–19 August 8 teams Steady 24 matches Steady
6 2020 24 July – 7 August 2021[11] 10 teams Increase 32 matches Increase

Sources:

Game rules[edit]

Maximum number of players per team[edit]

Men's tournament
Maximum number of players
1900–1904 1908–1980 1984–2016 2020–
In the playing area of the pool during an Olympic match 7 7 Steady 7 Steady 7 Steady
During an Olympic match 11 11 Steady 13 Increase 12[12] Decrease
During an Olympic tournament 11 11 Steady 13 Increase 13[12] Steady
per club per nation per nation per nation
Women's tournament
Maximum number of players
2000–2016 2020–
In the playing area of the pool during an Olympic match 7 7 Steady
During an Olympic match 13 12[12] Decrease
During an Olympic tournament 13 13[12] Steady
per nation per nation

Sources:

Anti-doping[edit]

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

Men's tournament[edit]

Results summary[edit]

# Year[5] Hosts Gold medal game Bronze medal game Number of teams
Gold Score Silver Bronze Score 4th place
1 1900
Details
France
Paris

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

France (Mixed team)
(Libellule de Paris)

France
(Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #2)
[d] 7
2 1904
Details
United States
St. Louis
Water polo was an unofficial sport Water polo was an unofficial sport
3 1908
Details
United Kingdom
London

Great Britain
9–2[e]
Belgium

Sweden
[f]
Netherlands
4
4 1912
Details
Sweden
Stockholm

Great Britain
8–0
Sweden

Belgium
5–4
Austria
6
5 1920
Details
Belgium
Antwerp

Great Britain
3–2
Belgium

Sweden
5–0
United States
12
6 1924
Details
France
Paris

France
3–0
Belgium

United States
3–2
Sweden
13
7 1928
Details
Netherlands
Amsterdam

Germany
5–2
Hungary

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

Hungary
Round-robin
Germany

United States
Round-robin
Japan
5
9 1936
Details
Germany
Berlin

Hungary
Round-robin
Germany

Belgium
Round-robin
France
16
10 1948
Details
United Kingdom
London

Italy
Round-robin
Hungary

Netherlands
Round-robin
Belgium
18
11 1952
Details
Finland
Helsinki

Hungary
Round-robin
Yugoslavia

Italy
Round-robin
United States
21
12 1956
Details
Australia
Melbourne

Hungary
Round-robin
Yugoslavia

Soviet Union
Round-robin
Italy
10
13 1960
Details
Italy
Rome

Italy
Round-robin
Soviet Union

Hungary
Round-robin
Yugoslavia
16
14 1964
Details
Japan
Tokyo

Hungary
Round-robin
Yugoslavia

Soviet Union
Round-robin
Italy
13
15 1968
Details
Mexico
Mexico City

Yugoslavia
13–11 (aet)
Soviet Union

Hungary
9–4
Italy
15
16 1972
Details
West Germany
Munich

Soviet Union
Round-robin
Hungary

United States
Round-robin
West Germany
16
17 1976
Details
Canada
Montreal

Hungary
Round-robin
Italy

Netherlands
Round-robin
Romania
12
18 1980
Details
Soviet Union
Moscow

Soviet Union
Round-robin
Yugoslavia

Hungary
Round-robin
Spain
12
19 1984
Details
United States
Los Angeles

Yugoslavia
Round-robin
United States

West Germany
Round-robin
Spain
12
20 1988
Details
South Korea
Seoul

Yugoslavia
9–7 (aet)
United States

Soviet Union
14–13
West Germany
12
21 1992
Details
Spain
Barcelona

Italy
9–8 (aet)
Spain

Unified Team[g]
8–4
United States
12
22 1996
Details
United States
Atlanta

Spain
7–5
Croatia

Italy
20–18 (aet)
Hungary
12
23 2000
Details
Australia
Sydney

Hungary
13–6
Russia

Yugoslavia[h]
8–3
Spain
12
24 2004
Details
Greece
Athens

Hungary
8–7
Serbia and Montenegro

Russia
6–5
Greece
12
25 2008
Details
China
Beijing

Hungary
14–10
United States

Serbia
6–4
Montenegro
12
26 2012
Details
United Kingdom
London

Croatia
8–6
Italy

Serbia
12–11
Montenegro
12
27 2016
Details
Brazil
Rio

Serbia
11–7
Croatia

Italy
12–10
Montenegro
12
28 2020
Details
Japan
Tokyo

Serbia
13–10
Greece

Hungary
9–5
Spain
12
29 2024
Details
France
Paris
12

Sources:

Confederation statistics[edit]

Best performances by tournament[edit]

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

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

Legend
  •  1st  – Champions
  •  2nd  – Runners-up
  •  3rd  – Third place
  •  4th  – Fourth place
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
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
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
Asia – AASF 4th 14th 12th 21st 10th 14th 11th 12th 15th 12th 9th 11th 9th 11th 12th 11th 12th 10th
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
Oceania – OSA 18th 19th 9th 15th 10th 12th 11th 7th 5th 8th 5th 8th 9th 8th 7th 9th 9th
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

Team statistics[edit]

Rk Rank Ref Reference p. page pp. pages

Comprehensive team results by tournament[edit]

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

Legend
  •  1  – Champions
  •  2  – Runners-up
  •  3  – Third place
  •  4  – Fourth place
  •   – Qualified but were not allowed to compete
  •   – Disqualified
  •  —  – The nation did not participate in the Games
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
  •     – Hosts
  • = – More than one team tied for that rank
  • Team – Defunct team
Abbreviation
  • stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
  • EUA – United Team of Germany
  • FRG – West Germany
  • FRY – FR Yugoslavia
  • GDR – East Germany
  • SCG – Serbia and Montenegro
Africa – CANA (2 teams)
Men's team[5] 00 04 08 12 20 24 28 32 36 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Years
 Egypt (stats) 7 10 13 12 15 12 6
 South Africa 14 9 12 WD 3
Americas – UANA (8 teams)
Men's team[5] 00 04 08 12 20 24 28 32 36 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Years
 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 Q 23
 Uruguay 13 16 2
Asia – AASF (7 teams)
Men's team[5] 00 04 08 12 20 24 28 32 36 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Years
 China 9 11 12 3
 India 12 21 2
 Iran 12 1
 Japan (stats) 4 14 14 11 12 15 11 12 10 Q 10
 Kazakhstan (stats) Part of Soviet Union [g] 9 11 11 11 4
 Singapore 10 1
 South Korea 12 1
Europe – LEN (34 teams)
Men's team[5] 00 04 08 12 20 24 28 32 36 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Years
 Austria 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 of Yugoslavia 2 7 10 6 1 2 5 Q 8
 Czechoslovakia 12 6 10 11 12 Defunct 5
 East Germany Part of Germany P. of EUA 6 Part of Germany 1
 France (stats) 3[d] 6 9 1 3 4 6 10 10 11 11 Q 12
 Germany (stats) =5 1 2 2 15 See EUA See FRG and GDR 7 9 5 10 9
 Great Britain (stats) 1 1 1 1 8 4 8 13 12 7 12 11
Men's team 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
 Greece (stats) 8 13 15 14 14 10 8 9 10 6 10 4 7 9 6 2 Q 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 Q 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 Q 22
 Luxembourg 11 1
 Malta 8 16 2
 Montenegro (stats) Part of Yugoslavia P. of FRY / SCG 4 4 4 8 Q 5
Men's team 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
 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 Q 10
 Russia (stats) Part of Soviet Union [g] 5 2 3 3
 Serbia (stats) Part of Yugoslavia P. of FRY / SCG 3 3 1 1 Q 5
 Serbia and Montenegro (stats) Part of Yugoslavia See FRY 2 Defunct 1
 Slovakia Part of Czechoslovakia 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 Q 19
Men's team 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
 Sweden (stats) 3 2 3 4 6 5 11 11 8
  Switzerland 11 12 12 12 14 5
 Ukraine Part of Soviet Union [g] 12 1
International Olympic Committee Unified Team[g] (stats) Part of Soviet Union 3 Defunct 1
Germany United Team of Germany (stats) See Germany 6 6 6 See FRG and GDR See Germany 3
 West Germany (stats) Part of Germany P. of EUA 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 of Yugoslavia 8 3 Defunct 2
Oceania – OSA (1 team)
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 Q 18
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

Finishes in the top four[edit]

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

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
  • Team – Defunct team
Rk Men's team[5] Total Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place First Last
1  Hungary 17 9 (1932, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2008) 3 (1928, 1948, 1972) 4 (1960, 1968, 1980, 2020) 1 (1996) 1928 2020
2  Italy 11 3 (1948, 1960*, 1992) 2 (1976, 2012) 3 (1952, 1996, 2016) 3 (1956, 1964, 1968) 1948 2016
3  United States 9 3 (1984*, 1988, 2008) 3 (1924, 1932*, 1972) 3 (1920, 1952, 1992) 1920 2008
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 4 2 (2016, 2020) 2 (2008, 2012) 2008 2020
11  Sweden 4 1 (1912*) 2 (1908, 1920) 1 (1924) 1908 1924
12  Croatia 3 1 (2012) 2 (1996, 2016) 1996 2016
 Germany 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
International Olympic Committee 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

Medal table[edit]

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: 31 December 2021.

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

Legend
  • Team – Defunct team
RankMen's teamGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Hungary (HUN)93416
2 Yugoslavia (YUG)3407
3 Italy (ITA)3238
4 Great Britain (GBR)[k]3003
5 Soviet Union (URS)2237
6 Serbia (SRB)2024
7 United States (USA)[l]1449
8 Croatia (CRO)1203
 Germany (GER)1203
10 Spain (ESP)1102
11 France (FRA)[d]1023
12 Mixed team (ZZX)1012
13 Belgium (BEL)0426
14 Sweden (SWE)0123
15 Russia (RUS)0112
 Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)[h]0112
17 Greece (GRE)0101
18 Netherlands (NED)0022
19 Unified Team (EUN)[g]0011
 West Germany (FRG)0011
Totals (20 entries)28282985

Champions (results, squads)[edit]

Champions (results)

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

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

Legend
  •  6  – Winning 6 matches during the tournament
  •  4  – Drawing 4 matches during the tournament
  •  2  – Losing 2 matches during the tournament
  •  100.0%  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row)
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Team – Defunct team
Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • W – Won
  • D – Drawn
  • L – Lost
  • GF – Goals for
  • GA – Goals against
  • GD – Goal difference
  • GF/MP – Goals for per match
  • GA/MP – Goals against per match
  • GD/MP – Goal difference per match
Results of champions by tournament
# 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 an unofficial 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
# Men's tournament Total 169 144 16 9 85.2% 1352 747 605 8.000 4.420 3.580
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
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak
  •  Team  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Team – Defunct team
Winning squads by tournament
# 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 an unofficial 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:

Team records[edit]

Player statistics[edit]

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

Multiple appearances (five-time Olympians)[edit]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Legend and abbreviation
  •     – Hosts
  • Apps – Appearances
Male athletes who competed in water polo at five or more Olympics
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

Multiple medalists[edit]

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 2021.

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

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

Legend
  •     – Hosts
Male athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo
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]
3 László Jeney 1923 1.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 Hungary GK 1948 1952 1956 1960 12 years
(25/37)
2 1 1 4 [38]
4 Mihály Mayer 1933 1.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 Hungary FP 1956 1960 1964 1968 12 years
(22/34)
2 0 2 4 [39]
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]
8 András Bodnár 1942 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
 Hungary FP 1960 1964 1968 1972 12 years
(18/30)
1 1 2 4 [40]
Endre Molnár 1945 1.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
 Hungary GK 1968 1972 1976 1980 12 years
(23/35)
1 1 2 4 [41]
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 [42]
11 Joseph Pletincx 1888  Belgium FP 1908 1912 1920 1924 16 years
(20/36)
0 3 1 4 [43]
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:

Multiple gold medalists[edit]

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

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

Ten athletes won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo. Six players (Tibor Benedek, Péter Biros, Tamás Kásás, Gergely Kiss, Tamás Molnár and Zoltán Szécsi) were all members of the Hungary men's national water polo team that won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2004 and 2008.[27][44][29][45][46][47]

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

Legend
  •     – Hosts
Male athletes who won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo
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]
3 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 [48]
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 [44]
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 [45]
Tamás Molnár 1975 1.93 m
(6 ft 4 in)
 Hungary FP 2000 2004 2008 8 years
(25/33)
3 0 0 3 [46]
Zoltán Szécsi 1977 1.98 m
(6 ft 6 in)
 Hungary GK 2000 2004 2008 2012 12 years
(22/34)
3 0 0 3 [47]
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, one tournament, all-time)[edit]

Top goalscorers (one match)

Top goalscorers (one tournament)

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

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

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

Spaniard Manuel Estiarte is the first and only water polo player to achieve this feat twice. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, Estiarte netted 34 goals, setting the record for the most goals scored by a water polo player in a single Olympic tournament. Four years later, he scored 27 goals in Seoul.[49]

The most recent player to scoring 25 or more goals in a tournament was Alessandro Calcaterra, with Italy men's national team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[50]

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
Male players with 25 or more goals in an Olympic tournament
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
[49]
2 1968 Nico van der Voet 1944 24 1.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
33 9 3.667  Netherlands 7th of 15
teams
[51]
3 1968 Eraldo Pizzo 1938 30 1.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
Right 29 9 3.222  Italy 4th of 15
teams
[52]
4 1988 Manuel Estiarte (2) 1961 26 1.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right 27 7 3.857  Spain 6th of 12
teams
[49]
2008 Alessandro Calcaterra 1975 33 1.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
Right 27 8 3.375  Italy 9th of 12
teams
[50]
6 1968 Rubén Junco 1950 18 1.54 m
(5 ft 1 in)
26 8 3.250  Cuba 8th of 15
teams
[53]
Rk Year Player Birth Age Height L/R Goals Matches
played
Goals
per
match
Men's team Finish Ref

Sources:

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

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

Hans Schneider of Germany scored 22 goals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics,[54] which stood as an Olympic water polo record for one Games until 1968, when the Dutch player Nico van der Voet netted 33 goals in Mexico City.[51]

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.[49]

Hungarian left-handed player Tibor Benedek was the joint top goalscorer at the 1992 Games with 22 goals, and the top goalscorer at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with 19 goals.[55]

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.[56]

31-year-old István Szívós Sr. scored 16 goals for Hungary at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics,[57] which stood as an age record for the oldest top goalscorer in a single Olympic water polo tournament until 2008, when 33-year-old Alessandro Calcaterra of Italy netted 27 goals in Beijing.[50]

Left-hander Filip Filipović of Serbia was the joint top goalscorer at the 2016 Olympics, with 19 goals. He netted two goals in the gold medal match, helping the Serbian team win the Olympics.[58]

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
Male players with the most goals in each Olympic tournament
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
[59]
1908 Fernand Feyaerts 1880 27–28 8 3 2.667  Belgium 2nd of 4
teams
[60]
1912 Robert Andersson 1886 25 9 4 2.250  Sweden 2nd of 6
teams
[61]
1920 Erik Andersson 1896 24 10 4 2.500  Sweden 3rd of 12
teams
[62]
1924 Pierre Dewin 1894 29–30 14 5 2.800  Belgium 2nd of 13
teams
[63]
1928 Ferenc Keserű 1903 24 1.55 m
(5 ft 1 in)
10 4 2.500  Hungary 2nd of 14
teams
[64]
1932 Philip Daubenspeck 1905 26 14 4 3.500  United States 3rd of 5
teams
[65]
1936 Hans Schneider 1909 26 22 7 3.143  Germany 2nd of 16
teams
[54]
1948 Aldo Ghira 1920 28 18[b] 7[b] 2.571  Italy 1st of 18
teams
[66]
1952 Ruud van Feggelen 1924 28 16[c] 8[c] 2.000  Netherlands 5th of 21
teams
[67]
István Szívós Sr. 1920 31 1.85 m
(6 ft 1 in)
Right 16 8 2.000  Hungary 1st of 21
teams
[57]
1956 Petre Mshvenieradze 1929 27 1.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
11 7 1.571  Soviet Union 3rd of 10
teams
[68]
1960 Fred Tisue 1938 21 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
12 7 1.714  United States 7th of 16
teams
[69]
Aurel Zahan 1938 22 1.83 m
(6 ft 0 in)
12 7 1.714  Romania 5th of 16
teams
[70]
1964 Nico van der Voet 1944 20 1.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
10 7 1.429  Netherlands 8ht of 13
teams
[51]
1968 Nico van der Voet (2) 1944 24 1.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
33 9 3.667  Netherlands 7th of 15
teams
[51]
1972 Carlos Sánchez 1952 20 1.71 m
(5 ft 7 in)
18 9 2.000  Cuba 9th of 16
teams
[71]
1976 Tamás Faragó 1952 23 1.94 m
(6 ft 4 in)
Right 22 8 2.750  Hungary 1st of 12
teams
[72]
1980 Manuel Estiarte 1961 18 1.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right 21 8 2.625  Spain 4th of 12
teams
[49]
1984 Manuel Estiarte (2) 1961 22 1.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right 34 7 4.857  Spain 4th of 12
teams
[49]
1988 Manuel Estiarte (3) 1961 26 1.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right 27 7 3.857  Spain 6th of 12
teams
[49]
1992 Tibor Benedek 1972 20 1.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
Left 22 7 3.143  Hungary 6th of 12
teams
[55]
Manuel Estiarte (4) 1961 30 1.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right 22 7 3.143  Spain 2nd of 12
teams
[49]
1996 Tibor Benedek (2) 1972 24 1.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
Left 19 8 2.375  Hungary 4th of 12
teams
[55]
2000 Aleksandar Šapić 1978 22 1.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
Right 18 8 2.250  Yugoslavia 3rd of 12
teams
[56]
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
[56]
2008 Alessandro Calcaterra 1975 33 1.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
Right 27 8 3.375  Italy 9th of 12
teams
[50]
2012 Andrija Prlainović 1987 25 1.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
Right 22 8 2.750  Serbia 3rd of 12
teams
[73]
2016 Filip Filipović 1987 29 1.96 m
(6 ft 5 in)
Left 19 8 2.375  Serbia 1st of 12
teams
[58]
Guillermo Molina 1984 32 1.95 m
(6 ft 5 in)
Right 19 8 2.375  Spain 7th of 12
teams
[74]
Year Player Birth Age Height L/R Goals Matches
played
Goals
per
match
Men's team Finish Ref

Sources:

Top goalscorers (all-time)

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

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

Six-time Olympian Manuel Estiarte holds the record for the most goals scored by a water polo player in Olympic history, with 127 goals, far more than any other player. At his first three Olympics (1980–1988), Estiarte netted 82 goals.[49]

Hungarian left-hander Tibor Benedek scored 65 goals at five Olympics (1992–2008),[55] and his teammate Tamás Kásás netted 56 goals between 1996 and 2012.[75]

Aleksandar Šapić, representing FR Yugoslavia in 1996 and 2000, Serbia and Montenegro in 2004, and Serbia in 2008, scored 64 goals in 32 matches.[56]

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).[76]

Gianni De Magistris is the top scorer for the Italy men's Olympic water polo team, with 59 goals (1968–1984).[77] His compatriot Eraldo Pizzo netted 53 goals at four Olympics between 1960 and 1972.[52]

Charles Turner, representing Australia between 1976 and 1984, scored 50 goals in 23 matches.[78]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
All-time male players with 50 or more goals at the Olympics
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 [49]
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 [55]
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 [56]
 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 [76]
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 [77]
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 [75]
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 [52]
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 [78]

Sources:

Top goalkeepers (one match, one tournament, all-time)[edit]

Top goalkeepers (one match)

Top goalkeepers (one tournament)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
  • 70.2% – Highest save efficiency
Male goalkeepers with 75 or more saves in an Olympic tournament (statistics since 1996)
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
[79]
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
[80]
2016 Slobodan Soro 1978 37 1.96 m
(6 ft 5 in)
81 152 53.3% 8 10.125  Brazil 8th of 12
teams
[81]
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
[82]
1996 Siniša Školneković 1968 28 1.94 m
(6 ft 4 in)
77 135 57.0% 8 9.625  Croatia 2nd of 12
teams
[83]
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
[81]
Rk Year Goalkeeper Birth Age Height Saves Shots Eff % MP Saves
per
match
Men's team Finish Ref

Sources:

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

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

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

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

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

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Male goalkeepers with the most saves in each Olympic tournament (statistics since 1996)
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
[80]
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
[84]
2004 Nikolay Maksimov 1972 31 1.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
62 104 59.6% 8 7.750  Russia 3rd of 12
teams
[85]
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
[81]

Sources:

Top goalkeepers (all-time)

Coach statistics[edit]

Rk Rank Ref Reference p. page pp. pages

Most successful coaches[edit]

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

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

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

Ratko Rudić is the most successful water polo coach in Olympic history. As a head coach, he led three men's national water polo teams to win four Olympic gold medals and one Olympic bronze medal. He guided Yugoslavia men's national team to two consecutive gold medals in 1984 and 1988, Italy men's national team to a gold medal in 1992 and a bronze medal in 1996, and Croatia men's national team to a gold medal in 2012, making him the first and only coach to lead three different men's national water polo teams to the Olympic titles.[86][87]

Dénes Kemény of Hungary is another coach who led men's national water polo team(s) to win three Olympic gold medals. Under his leadership, the Hungary men's national team won three gold in a row between 2000 and 2008, becoming the second water polo team to have an Olympic winning streak.[88]

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.[89]

Boris Popov led the Soviet Union men's national team to win an Olympic gold medal in 1980 and a bronze medal in 1988. Four years later, he coached the Unified Team to another bronze medal.[90]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
Head coaches who led men's national teams to win three or more Olympic medals
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 [91]
[86]
[87]
 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 [88]
3 Dezső Gyarmati  Hungary 1927 44–52  Hungary 1972
(2nd)
1976
(1st)
1980
(3rd)
8
years
1 1 1 3 [22]
[89]
4 Boris Popov  Soviet Union 1941 39, 47  Soviet Union 1980
(1st)
1988
(3rd)
12
years
1 0 2 3 [92]
[90]
 Russia 51 International Olympic Committee Unified Team 1992
(3rd)

Medals as coach and player[edit]

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

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

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

Dezső Gyarmati of Hungary won five Olympic medals in a row between 1948 and 1964. He coached the Hungary men's national team to three consecutive Olympic medals, including a gold in 1976,[22][89] making him the only man to win Olympic gold in water polo as player and head coach in the last 100 years.

Ivo Trumbić won the silver medal in 1964 and Yugoslavia's first Olympic gold medal in water polo in 1968. He moved to the Netherlands in 1973, hired as the head coach of the Netherlands men's national team. At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, he led the Dutch team to win a bronze medal.[93][94]

Vladimir Semyonov, representing the Soviet Union, won three Olympic medals in a row between 1960 and 1968. As a head coach, he led the Soviet Union men's national water polo team to win an Olympic gold medal in 1972.[95]

Soviet Boris Popov won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. He guided the Soviet Union men's national team to two Olympic medals in 1980 and 1988, and the Unified Team to a bronze medal in 1992.[90]

Aleksandr Kabanov of the Soviet Union won a gold at the Munich Olympics in 1972, coached by Vladimir Semyonov. Eight years later, he won the second gold medal at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, coached by Boris Popov. As a head coach, he led Russia men's national team to win two consecutive medals in 2000 and 2004.[96][97]

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.[91][86][87]

Terry Schroeder of the United States won two consecutive silver medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Twenty years later, he coached the United States men's national team to a silver in 2008, becoming the first and only non-European to achieve this feat.[98][99]

Italian Alessandro Campagna won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, coached by Ratko Rudić. As a head coach, he led Italy men's national team to win two medals in 2012 and 2016.[100][101]

Dejan Savić won three consecutive Olympic medals between 2000 and 2008. At the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, he coached Serbia men's national team to the Olympic title.[102]

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
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]
[89]
2 Ratko Rudić 1948 1.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
32  Yugoslavia FP 1980 36–40  Yugoslavia 1984 , 1988 4 1 1 6 [91]
[86]
[87]
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 [102]
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 [96]
[97]
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 [95]
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 [92]
[90]
51 International Olympic Committee Unified Team 1992
7 Dezső Lemhényi 1917 30–34  Hungary FP 1948 , 1952 42  Hungary 1960 1 1 1 3 [103]
[104]
Ivo Trumbić 1935 1.97 m
(6 ft 6 in)
29–33  Yugoslavia FP 1964 , 1968 41  Netherlands 1976 1 1 1 3 [93]
[94]
Alessandro Campagna 1963 1.82 m
(6 ft 0 in)
29  Italy FP 1992 49–53  Italy 2012 , 2016 1 1 1 3 [100]
[101]
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 [98]
[99]
11 Gianni Lonzi 1938 1.82 m
(6 ft 0 in)
22  Italy FP 1960* 37  Italy 1976 1 1 0 2 [105]
[106]
12 Mario Majoni 1910 38  Italy FP 1948* 42  Italy 1952 1 0 1 2 [107]
[108]
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

Women's tournament[edit]

Results summary[edit]

# Year[5] Hosts Gold medal game Bronze medal game Number of teams
Gold Score Silver Bronze Score 4th place
1 2000
Details
Australia
Sydney

Australia
4–3
United States

Russia
4–3
Netherlands
6
2 2004
Details
Greece
Athens

Italy
10–9 (aet)
Greece

United States
6–5
Australia
8
3 2008
Details
China
Beijing

Netherlands
9–8
United States

Australia
9–9 (aet)
(3–2) (ps)

Hungary
8
4 2012
Details
United Kingdom
London

United States
8–5
Spain

Australia
13–11 (aet)
Hungary
8
5 2016
Details
Brazil
Rio

United States
12–5
Italy

Russia
12–12
(7–6) (ps)

Hungary
8
6 2020
Details
Japan
Tokyo

United States
14–5
Spain

Hungary
11–9
ROC
10
7 2024
Details
France
Paris
10

Sources:

Confederation statistics[edit]

Best performances by tournament[edit]

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

Legend
  •  1st  – Champions
  •  2nd  – Runners-up
  •  3rd  – Third place
  •  4th  – Fourth place
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
Confederation 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Africa – CANA 10th
Americas – UANA 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st 1st 1st
Asia – AASF 6th 8th 5th 5th 7th 8th
Europe – LEN 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd
Oceania – OSA 1st 4th 3rd 3rd 6th 5th
Total teams 6 8 8 8 8 10

Team statistics[edit]

Rk Rank Ref Reference p. page pp. pages

Comprehensive team results by tournament[edit]

Note: Results of Olympic qualification tournaments are not included. Last updated: 12 February 2024.

Legend
  •  1st  – Champions
  •  2nd  – Runners-up
  •  3rd  – Third place
  •  4th  – Fourth place
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
  •     – Hosts
Abbreviation
  • stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
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 Q 4
 United States (stats) 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st 1st 1st Q 7
Asia – AASF (3 teams)
Women's team[5] 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Years
 China (stats) 5th 5th 7th 8th Q 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 Q 1
 Great Britain 8th 1
 Greece (stats) 2nd 8th Q 3
 Hungary (stats) 6th 4th 4th 4th 3rd Q 6
 Italy (stats) 1st 6th 7th 2nd Q 5
 Netherlands (stats) 4th 1st 6th Q 4
 ROC (stats) 4th 1
 Russia (stats) 3rd 5th 7th 6th 3rd 5
 Spain (stats) 2nd 5th 2nd Q 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 Q 7
Total teams 6 8 8 8 8 10 10

Finishes in the top four[edit]

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

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
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) 2000 2020
2  Australia 4 1 (2000*) 2 (2008, 2012) 1 (2004) 2000 2012
3  Hungary 4 1 (2020) 3 (2008, 2012, 2016) 2008 2020
4  Italy 2 1 (2004) 1 (2016) 2004 2016
5  Netherlands 2 1 (2008) 1 (2000) 2000 2008
6  Spain 2 2 (2012, 2020) 2012 2020
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

Medal table[edit]

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

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

RankWomen's teamGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States (USA)3216
2 Italy (ITA)1102
3 Australia (AUS)1023
4 Netherlands (NED)1001
5 Spain (ESP)0202
6 Greece (GRE)0101
7 Russia (RUS)0022
8 Hungary (HUN)0011
Totals (8 entries)66618

Champions (results, squads)[edit]

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

Legend
  •  6  – Winning 6 matches during the tournament
  •  4  – Drawing 4 matches during the tournament
  •  2  – Losing 2 matches during the tournament
  •  100.0%  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row)
  •  Team  – Host team
Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • W – Won
  • D – Drawn
  • L – Lost
  • GF – Goals for
  • GA – Goals against
  • GD – Goals difference
  • GF/MP – Goals for per match
  • GA/MP – Goals against per match
  • GD/MP – Goals difference per match
Results of champions by tournament
# 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
# Women's tournament Total 38 32 1 5 84.2% 387 242 145 10.184 6.368 3.816
Champions MP W D L Win % GF GA GD GF/MP GA/MP GD/MP

Sources:

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

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

Legend
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak
  •  Team  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Host team
Winning squads by tournament
# 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)
# Women's tournament Champions Number Number % Age Height Weight
Players Returning Olympians Average

Sources:

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

Team records[edit]

Player statistics[edit]

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

Multiple appearances (four-time Olympians)[edit]

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

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

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

Legend
  •     – Hosts
  • Apps – Appearances
Female athletes who competed in water polo at four or more Olympics
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 [109]
Sofia Konukh 1980 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
 Russia FP 2000 2004 2008 2012 12 years
(20/32)
0 0 1 1 [110]
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 [111]
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 [112]
Bronwen Knox 1986 1.82 m
(6 ft 0 in)
 Australia FP 2008 2012 2016 2020 13 years
(22/35)
0 0 2 2 [113]
Nadezhda Glyzina 1988 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
 Russia FP 2008 2012 2016 13 years
(20/33)
0 0 1 1 [114]
 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 [115]
 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 [116]
 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

Multiple medalists[edit]

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

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

Heather Petri and Brenda Villa, both representing the United States, are the only two female athletes to win four Olympic medals in water polo.[109][111]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
Female athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo
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 [109]
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 [111]

Sources:

Multiple gold medalists[edit]

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

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

Legend
  •     – Hosts
Female athletes who won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo
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 [117]
Maggie Steffens 1993 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
 United States FP 2012 2016 2020 9 years
(19/28)
3 0 0 3 [118]

Top goalscorers (one match, one tournament, all-time)[edit]

Top goalscorers (one match)

Top goalscorers (one tournament)

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

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

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

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

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
Female players with 18 or more goals in an Olympic tournament
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
[119]
2 2012 Maggie Steffens 1993 19 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 21 6 3.500  United States 1st of 8
teams
[118]
3 2012 Ma Huanhuan 1990 22 1.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right 19 6 3.167  China 5th of 8
teams
[120]
4 2012 Tania Di Mario 1979 33 1.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right 18 6 3.000  Italy 7th of 8
teams
[121]
2020 Maddie Musselman 1998 23 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Right 18 7 2.571  United States 1st of 10
teams
[122]
2020 Beatriz Ortiz 1995 26 1.76 m
(5 ft 9 in)
Right 18 7 2.571  Spain 2nd of 10
teams
[123]
2020 Maggie Steffens (2) 1993 28 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 18 7 2.571  United States 1st of 10
teams
[118]
Rk Year Player Birth Age Height L/R Goals Matches
played
Goals
per
match
Women's team Finish Ref

Source:

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

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

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

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

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
Female players with the most goals in each Olympic tournament
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
[124]
Bridgette Gusterson 1973 27 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Right 7 1.571  Australia 1st of 6
teams
[125]
Sofia Konukh 1980 20 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 7 1.571  Russia 3rd of 6
teams
[126]
2004 Tania Di Mario 1979 25 1.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right 14 6 2.333  Italy 1st of 8
teams
[121]
2008 Daniëlle de Bruijn (2) 1978 30 1.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left 17 6 2.833  Netherlands 1st of 8
teams
[124]
2012 Maggie Steffens 1993 19 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 21 6 3.500  United States 1st of 8
teams
[118]
2016 Maggie Steffens (2) 1993 23 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 17 6 2.833  United States 1st of 8
teams
[118]
2020 Simone van de Kraats 2000 20 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Left 28 7 4.000  Netherlands 6th of 10
teams
[119]

Source:

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

Top goalscorers (all-time)

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

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

Three-time Olympian Maggie Steffens of the United States holds the record for the most goals scored by a female water polo player in Olympic history, with 56 goals.[127]

Italian Tania Di Mario netted 47 goals at four Olympics (2004–2016).[121]

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).[120]

Kate Gynther of Australia netted 30 goals in 32 matches between 2004 and 2012.[128]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
All-time female players with 30 or more goals at the Olympics
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 [127]
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 [121]
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 [120]
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 [126]
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 [129]
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 [128]

Source:

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

Top goalkeepers (one match, one tournament, all-time)[edit]

Top goalkeepers (one match)

Top goalkeepers (one tournament)

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

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

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

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

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
  • 64.6% – Highest save efficiency
Female goalkeepers with 50 or more saves in an Olympic tournament
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
[130]
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
[131]
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
[132]
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
[133]
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
[134]
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
[135]

Source:

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

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

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

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

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Female goalkeepers with the most saves in each Olympic tournament
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
[136]
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
[137]
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
[134]
2012 Elena Gigli 1985 27 1.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
56 105 53.3% 6 9.333  Italy 7th of 8
teams
[131]
2016 Giulia Gorlero 1990 25 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
65 106 61.3% 6 10.833  Italy 2nd of 8
teams
[130]

Source:

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

Top goalkeepers (all-time)

Coach statistics[edit]

Rk Rank Ref Reference p. page pp. pages

Most successful coaches[edit]

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

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

Guy Baker guided the United States women's national team to three Olympic medals in a row between 2000 and 2008.[138][139]

Adam Krikorian coached the United States women's national team to two consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016.[140][139]

Greg McFadden led Australia women's national team to win two consecutive Olympic bronze medals in 2008 and 2012.[141]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
Head coaches who led women's national teams to win two or more Olympic medals
Rk Head coach Nationality Birth Age Women's team Tournaments
(finish)
Period Medals Ref
1 2 3 G S B T
1 Guy Baker  United States  United States 2000
(2nd)
2004
(3rd)
2008
(2nd)
8
years
0 2 1 3 [138]
[139]
2 Adam Krikorian  United States 1974 38–42  United States 2012
(1st)
2016
(1st)
4
years
2 0 0 2 [140]
[139]
3 Greg McFadden  Australia 1964 43–51  Australia 2008
(3rd)
2012
(3rd)
2016
(6th)
8
years
0 0 2 2 [142]
[141]

Medals as coach and player[edit]

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

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

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

With the Hungary men's national water polo team, István Görgényi won a silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He was appointed head coach of the Australia women's national team in 1998. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he led the team to win the inaugural women's water polo gold medal.[143][144]

Spanish water polo player Miki Oca won a silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Four years later, he won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. As a head coach, he guided Spain women's national water polo team to a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.[145]

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
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 2012 1 2 0 3 [145]
2 István Görgényi 1946 1.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
25  Hungary FP 1972 53  Australia 2000* 1 1 0 2 [143]
[144]

Overall medal table[edit]

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the NOC (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 December 2021.[146]

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

Legend
  • NOC – NOC that won medals in both the men's and women's tournaments
  • NOC – Defunct NOC
RankNOCGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Hungary (HUN)93517
2 United States (USA)[l]46515
3 Italy (ITA)43310
4 Yugoslavia (YUG)3407
5 Great Britain (GBR)[k]3003
6 Soviet Union (URS)2237
7 Serbia (SRB)2024
8 Spain (ESP)1304
9 Croatia (CRO)1203
 Germany (GER)1203
11 Australia (AUS)1023
 France (FRA)[d]1023
 Netherlands (NED)1023
14 Mixed team (ZZX)1012
15 Belgium (BEL)0426
16 Greece (GRE)0202
17 Russia (RUS)0134
18 Sweden (SWE)0123
19 Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)0112
20 Unified Team (EUN)[g]0011
 West Germany (FRG)0011
Totals (21 entries)343435103

Winning two medals in one edition of the Games[edit]

As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, four NOCs won two medals in one edition of the Games.

Legend
  •     – Hosts
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 people at the opening and closing ceremonies[edit]

Flag bearers[edit]

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

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

Charles Smith, representing Great Britain, was the first water polo player to be a flag bearer at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.[48]

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

After winning gold in the women's tournament, Carmela Allucci, the captain of the Italian women's water polo team, carried the national flag of Italy at the closing ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics,[148] becoming the first female water polo player to be given the honour.

Legend
  •  2008 O  – Opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics
  •  2012 C  – Closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics
  •     – Hosts
  •  Flag bearer  – Female flag bearer
  • Flag bearer – Flag bearer who won the tournament with his/her team
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 [48]
2 1920 O Belgium Victor Boin 1886 34  Belgium FP 1908 1912 4 years
(22/26)
0 1 1 2 [149]
3 1924 O Great Britain Arthur Hunt 1886 37  Great Britain FP 1924 0 years
(37/37)
0 0 0 0 [150]
4 1928 O France Jean Thorailler 1888 40  France GK 1912 1920 8 years
(24/32)
0 0 0 0 [151]
5 1948 O Australia Les McKay 1917 31  Australia FP 1948 0 years
(31/31)
0 0 0 0 [152]
6 Yugoslavia Božo Grkinić 1913 34  Yugoslavia FP 1948 0 years
(34/34)
0 0 0 0 [153]
7 1952 O Egypt Ahmed Fouad Nessim 1924 27  Egypt GK 1948 1952 4 years
(23/27)
0 0 0 0 [154]
8 1956 O Singapore Lionel Chee 1931 25  Singapore FP 1956 0 years
(25/25)
0 0 0 0 [155]
9 Yugoslavia Zdravko-Ćiro Kovačić 1925 31  Yugoslavia GK 1948 1952 1956 8 years
(23/31)
0 2 0 2 [156]
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 [157]
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 [158]
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 [158]
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 [159]
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 [160]
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 [161]
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 [162]
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 [98]
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 [163]
 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 [164]
 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 [165]
 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 [148]
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 [166]
 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 [166]
 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 [44]
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 [79]
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 [167]
 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 [168]
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 [169]
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 [170]
30 Montenegro Dušan Matković 1999 22 1.90 m
(6 ft 3 in)
 Montenegro FP 2020 0 years
(22/22)
0 0 0 0 [171]
# 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[edit]

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

Some sportspeople from the host nations were chosen to take the Olympic Oath at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, four water polo people were given the honour.[172][173]

As an athlete, Victor Boin of Belgium took the first ever Olympic Oath at the 1920 Games in Antwerp.[149]

Eugeni Asensio, a Spanish water polo referee, took the Officials' Oath at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.[174]

As a water polo referee, Australian Peter Kerr took the Officials' Oath at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.[175]

Asumi Tsuzaki of Japan took the Officials' Oath at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo,[176] becoming the first female water polo referee to be given the honour.

Legend
  •     – Hosts
  •  Oath taker  – Female oath taker
  • Oath taker – Oath taker who won the tournament with his/her team
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 [149]
2 1992 Officials' Oath  Spain Eugeni Asensio 1992 As referee (official) [174]
3 2000 Officials' Oath  Australia Peter Kerr 1996 2000 As referee (official) [175]
4 2020 Officials' Oath  Japan Asumi Tsuzaki 1989 32 2020 As referee (official) [176]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c At the 1932 Olympics, Brazil was ejected from the competition after their players assaulted the Hungarian referee, Bela Komjadi, and other officials at the end of their match against Germany, leading to the entire team being arrested. Their two matches were annulled. For more details, please see the Official Report of the 1932 Olympic Games (pp. 650–651), and here.
  2. ^ a b c d At the 1948 Olympics, the water polo matches between Italy and Yugoslavia in Group D and between Egypt and Hungary in Group E were both replayed. For more details, please see here.
  3. ^ a b c At the 1952 Olympics, the water polo match between the Netherlands and Yugoslavia in Group C was replayed. For more details, please see here.
  4. ^ a b c d e France had four teams compete in 1900. Bronze medals were given to the losers of both semifinals; France took both bronze medals. Bill Burgess, a member of one of the French bronze medalist teams, was a British national: the IOC subsequently attributed the bronze medal to a mixed team.
  5. ^ a b As Great Britain had a bye in the first round, and then received a walkover in the semi-finals after Austria withdrew, the final was the only match that they played during the tournament.
  6. ^ There was no bronze medal match at the 1908 Games in London. Belgium beat the Netherlands in the only first round match, and then beat Sweden in the only semi-final.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h In 1992, 12 of the 15 former Soviet Republics competed together as the Unified Team and marched under the Olympic Flag in the Barcelona Games.
  8. ^ a b c d After the breakup of Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia men's national water polo team participated at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, and won a bronze medal in 2000. In 2003, after the country was renamed from FR Yugoslavia to Serbia and Montenegro, the team was also renamed to Serbia and Montenegro. Despite the renaming of the country name, both the team of FR Yugoslavia and the team of Serbia and Montenegro represented the same national entity: a joint state of Montenegro and Serbia.
  9. ^ The Olympic Committee of the Soviet Union was formed on 21 April 1951, and was recognised by the International Olympic Committee on 7 May 1951.
  10. ^ While Australia had qualified to compete as one of the sixteen teams, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) did not endorse them. The Australian players responded by paying their own way to travel to Mexico City, but the lack of endorsement meant the team were ineligible to compete. For more details, please see here (1, 2).
  11. ^ a b A British team won the gold medal in 1900. Victor Lindberg, a member of the British team, was a New Zealander: the IOC subsequently attributed the gold medal to a mixed team.
  12. ^ a b Previously, the International Olympic Committee and International Swimming Federation (FINA) considered the water polo event at the 1904 Olympics as a demonstration sport.[5] However, in July 2021, after accepting the recommendation of Olympic historian Bill Mallon, the IOC recognized water polo along with several others as an official sport of the 1904 Olympic program.[147]
  13. ^ Average height of 9 players.
  14. ^ Average weight of 8 players.
  15. ^ Average height of 11 players.
  16. ^ Average weight of 11 players.

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  171. ^ "Dušan Matković". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  172. ^ "Takers of the Athletes' Oath". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  173. ^ "Takers of the Officials' Oath". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  174. ^ a b "Eugeni Asensio". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  175. ^ a b "Peter Kerr". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  176. ^ a b "Asumi Tsuzaki, Officials Oath at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony". wwpra.org. World Water Polo Referees' Association. Retrieved 23 July 2021.

Sources[edit]

Official Reports (IOC)[edit]

PDF documents in the LA84 Foundation Digital Library:

Official Results Books (IOC)[edit]

PDF documents in the LA84 Foundation Digital Library:

PDF documents on the FINA website:

PDF documents in the Olympic World Library:

PDF documents on the International Olympic Committee website:

Official Reports (FINA)[edit]

PDF documents on the FINA website:

Official website (IOC)[edit]

Water polo on the International Olympic Committee website:

Olympedia[edit]

Water polo on the Olympedia website:

Sports Reference[edit]

Water polo on the Sports Reference website:

Todor66[edit]

Water polo on the Todor66 website:

External links[edit]