| Size: | 150 |
| Sport: | water polo |
| Code: | WPO |
| Menevents: | 1 |
| Womenevents: | 1 |
| Otherlinks: | Overall statistics (men • women) Champions (men • women) Team appearances (men • women) Player appearances (men • women) Top goalscorers (men • women) Goalkeepers (men • women) Flag bearers and oath takers Venues |
Water polo 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.
See main article: History of water polo.
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.
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. A German team tried to enter, but its entry was refused because the players did not play for the same club.[5] The event took place in a pond in Forest Park, the location of both the Olympics and the World's Fair.[6] Previously, the International Olympic Committee and International Swimming Federation (FINA) considered the water polo event at the 1904 Olympics as a demonstration sport. 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.[7] Water polo was not played at the 1906 Olympics.
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).
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.
See main article: Blood in the Water match.
The most famous water polo match in Olympic history often referred to as the Blood in the Water match, was a 1956 Summer Olympics semi-final match between Hungary and the Soviet Union, played in Melbourne on 6 December 1956. As the athletes left for the games, the Hungarian revolution began, and the Soviet army crushed the uprising. The match was bloody and violent. The Hungarians defeated the Soviets 4–0 before the game was called off in the final minute to prevent angry Hungarians in the crowd reacting to Soviet player Valentin Prokopov punching Hungarian player Ervin Zádor. Pictures of Zádor's injuries were published around the world, leading to the "Blood in the Water" moniker.[8]
The Hungarians went on to win the Olympic gold medal by defeating Yugoslavia 2–1 in the final.
Women's water polo became an Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Six nations competed in the women's tournament with home team Australia winning the gold medal over the United States.
From 2012 to 2020, the United States women's team won three consecutive gold medals at the Summer Olympics, becoming the first women's water polo team to have an Olympic winning streak.
See main article: Geography of water polo.
Water polo is now popular in many countries around the world, notably in Europe (particularly in Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Spain), Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States.
As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, 51 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from six continents have sent their water polo teams to the Olympic Games. Men's water polo teams of European NOCs won all 27 official tournaments, while women's teams from Europe, North America and Oceania won all six gold medals. Water polo teams from Africa, Asia and South America have not won an Olympic medal yet.
See main article: List of Olympic venues 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.
Paris 1900: Seine, Paris
St. Louis 1904: Forest Park, St. Louis
Stockholm 1912: Djurgårdsbrunnsviken, Stockholm
Antwerp 1920: Stade Nautique d'Antwerp, Antwerp Paris 1924: Piscine des Tourelles, Paris
Amsterdam 1928: Olympic Sports Park Swim Stadium, Amsterdam Los Angeles 1932: Swimming Stadium, Los Angeles
Berlin 1936: Olympic Swimming Stadium, Berlin
Helsinki 1952: Swimming Stadium, Helsinki
Melbourne 1956: Swimming/Diving Stadium, Melbourne
Rome 1960: Piscina delle Rose and Stadio Olimpico del Nuoto (final), both in Rome
Tokyo 1964: Tokyo Metropolitan Indoor Swimming Pool, Tokyo
Mexico City 1968: Francisco Márquez Olympic Pool (final) and University City Swimming Pool, both in Mexico City
Montreal 1976: French: [[Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard]]|italic=no and Olympic Pool (final), both in Montreal Los Angeles 1984: Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool, Malibu, California
Barcelona 1992: Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc and Piscines Bernat Picornell (finals), both in Barcelona Atlanta 1996: Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, Atlanta Sydney 2000: Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre, Ryde; and Sydney International Aquatic Centre, Sydney
Athens 2004: Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre, Athens
Beijing 2008: Ying Tung Natatorium, Beijing
Rio de Janeiro 2016: Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre and Olympic Aquatics Stadium (finals), Rio de Janeiro Tokyo 2020: Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center, Tokyo Paris 2024: Paris Aquatic Centre (prelims phase) and Paris La Défense Arena (final phase) Los Angeles 2028: Long Beach Waterfront Brisbane 2032: Sleeman CentreSources:
| Event | 96 | 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 |
| 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 |
Since 2012, the qualifying process consists of five stages:
| Zone ! | Tournament | Berths | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ||||||
| 1 | — | Host nation | 1 (from Europe) | 1 (from Americas) | 1 (from Asia) | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 3 | World – FINA | 3 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4 | African Continental Selection | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Oceanian Continental Selection | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 5 | World – FINA | World Qualification Tournament | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| Total | 12 | 12 | 12 | |||
| Stage | Zone | Tournament | Berths | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ||||||
| 1 | — | Host nation | 1 (from Europe) | 1 (from Americas) | 1 (from Asia) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 3 | World – FINA | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 4 | African Continental Selection | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Oceanian Continental Selection | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 5 | World – FINA | World Qualification Tournament | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| Total | 8 | 8 | 10 | |||
According to the FINA General Rules, the list below shows the requirements for a player to be eligible to play in international tournaments:
For both the men's and women's tournaments at the 2020 Olympics (which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), 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.
| Year ! | Dates | Number of | Competition format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Matches | ||||
| 1 | 11–12 August | 7 teams | 6 matches | Single-elimination tournament | |
| 2 | 5–6 September | 3 teams | 2 matches | ||
| 3 | 15–22 July | 4 teams | 4 matches | ||
| 4 | 7–16 July | 6 teams | 10 matches | ||
| 5 | 22–29 August | 12 teams | 19 matches | Single-elimination tournament with Bergvall system for second- and third-place | |
| 6 | 13–20 July | 13 teams | 19 matches | ||
| 7 | 4–11 August | 14 teams | 18 matches | Single-elimination tournament with Bergvall system for third place | |
| 8 | 4–13 August | 5 teams | 6 matches | Round-robin tournament | |
| 9 | 8–15 August | 16 teams | 40 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin semi-final pool; round-robin semi-final pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool | |
| 10 | 28 July – 7 August | Series of round-robin elimination pools, followed by round-robin semi-final pools, and then round-robin final pools | |||
| 11 | 25 July – 2 August | 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 | 10 teams | 29 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool | ||
| 13 | 25 August – 3 September | 16 teams | 40 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin semi-final pool; round-robin semi-final pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool | |
| 14 | 11–18 October | 13 teams | 31 matches | ||
| 15 | 14–26 October | 15 teams | 63 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches | |
| 16 | 27 August – 4 September | 16 teams | 59 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to the round-robin final pool | |
| 17 | 18–27 July | 12 teams | 48 matches | ||
| 18 | 20–29 July | 12 teams | 48 matches | ||
| 19 | 1–10 August | 12 teams | 42 matches | ||
| 20 | 21 September – 1 October | 12 teams | 42 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches | |
| 21 | 1–9 August | 12 teams | 42 matches | ||
| 22 | 20–28 July | 12 teams | 48 matches | ||
| 23 | 23 September – 1 October | 12 teams | 48 matches | ||
| 24 | 15–29 August | 12 teams | 44 matches | ||
| 25 | 10–24 August | 12 teams | 44 matches | ||
| 26 | 29 July – 12 August | 12 teams | 42 matches | ||
| 27 | 6–20 August | 12 teams | 42 matches | ||
| 28 | 25 July – 8 August 2021 | 12 teams | 42 matches | ||
| Year | Dates | Teams | Matches | Competition format | |
| Number of | |||||
| Year ! | Dates | Number of | Competition format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Matches | ||||
| 1 | 16–23 September | 6 teams | 20 matches | Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches | |
| 2 | 16–26 August | 8 teams | 20 matches | ||
| 3 | 11–21 August | 8 teams | 20 matches | ||
| 4 | 30 July – 9 August | 8 teams | 24 matches | ||
| 5 | 9–19 August | 8 teams | 24 matches | ||
| 6 | 24 July – 7 August 2021 | 10 teams | 32 matches | ||
See main article: Rules of water polo.
| Maximum number of players | |||||
| 1900–1904 | 1908–1980 | 1984–2016 | 2020– | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In the playing area of the pool during an Olympic match | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |
| During an Olympic match | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 | |
| During an Olympic tournament | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | |
| Maximum number of players | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2016 | 2020– | ||
| In the playing area of the pool during an Olympic match | 7 | 7 | |
| During an Olympic match | 13 | 12 | |
| During an Olympic tournament | 13 | 13 | |
See main article: Doping at the Olympic Games and List of doping cases in sport.
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.[9] [10] [11] [12]
| Year | Hosts | Gold medal game | Bronze medal game | Number of teams | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Score | Silver | Bronze | Score | 4th place | ||||
| 1900 | Paris | (Mixed team) (Osborne Swimming Club) | 7–2 | (Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club) | (Mixed team) (Libellule de Paris) (Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #2) | 7 | |||
| 1904 | St. Louis | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | ||||||
| 1908 | London | 9–2 | 4 | ||||||
| 1912 | Stockholm | 8–0 | 5–4 | 6 | |||||
| 1920 | Antwerp | 3–2 | 5–0 | 12 | |||||
| 1924 | Paris | 3–0 | 3–2 | 13 | |||||
| 1928 | Amsterdam | 5–2 | 8–1 | 14 | |||||
| 1932 | Los Angeles | Round-robin | Round-robin | 5 | |||||
| 1936 | Berlin | Round-robin | Round-robin | 16 | |||||
| 1948 | London | Round-robin | Round-robin | 18 | |||||
| 1952 | Helsinki | Round-robin | Round-robin | 21 | |||||
| 1956 | Melbourne | Round-robin | Round-robin | 10 | |||||
| 1960 | Rome | Round-robin | Round-robin | 16 | |||||
| 1964 | Tokyo | Round-robin | Round-robin | 13 | |||||
| 1968 | Mexico City | 13–11 (aet) | 9–4 | 15 | |||||
| 1972 | Munich | Round-robin | Round-robin | 16 | |||||
| 1976 | Montreal | Round-robin | Round-robin | 12 | |||||
| 1980 | Moscow | Round-robin | Round-robin | Spain | 12 | ||||
| 1984 | Los Angeles | Round-robin | Round-robin | 12 | |||||
| 1988 | Seoul | 9–7 (aet) | 14–13 | 12 | |||||
| 1992 | Barcelona | 9–8 (aet) | Unified Team | 8–4 | 12 | ||||
| 1996 | Atlanta | 7–5 | 20–18 (aet) | 12 | |||||
| 2000 | Sydney | 13–6 | 8–3 | 12 | |||||
| 2004 | Athens | 8–7 | 6–5 | 12 | |||||
| 2008 | Beijing | 14–10 | 6–4 | 12 | |||||
| 2012 | London | 8–6 | 12–11 | 12 | |||||
| 2016 | Rio | 11–7 | 12–10 | 12 | |||||
| 2020 | Tokyo | 13–10 | 9–5 | 12 | |||||
| 2024 | Paris | 13–11 | 8–8 (3–0) (ps) | 12 | |||||
See main article: National team appearances in the men's Olympic water polo tournament.
| Rk | Rank | Ref | Reference | p. | page | pp. | pages |
|---|
See main article: List of Olympic champions in men's water polo. Champions (results)
Champions (squads)
| 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 |
See main article: List of players who have appeared in multiple men's Olympic water polo tournaments.
See also: List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games.
See main article: List of Olympic medalists in water polo (men).
See also: List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event.
See main article: List of Olympic champions in men's water polo.
See also: List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event.
Top goalscorers (one match)
Top goalscorers (one tournament)
Top goalscorers (all-time)
Top goalkeepers (one match)
Top goalkeepers (one tournament)
Top goalkeepers (all-time)
| Rk | Rank | Ref | Reference | p. | page | pp. | pages |
|---|
| Year | Hosts | width=1% rowspan=9 bgcolor=#ffffff | Gold medal game | width=1% rowspan=9 bgcolor=#ffffff | Bronze medal game | width=1% rowspan=9 bgcolor=#ffffff | Number of teams | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=14% bgcolor=#ffd700 | Gold | width=8% bgcolor=#efefef | Score | width=14% bgcolor=#c0c0c0 | Silver | width=14% bgcolor=#cc9966 | Bronze | width=8% bgcolor=#efefef | Score | width=14% bgcolor=#9acdff | 4th place | ||||
| 1 | 2000 Details | Sydney | 4–3 | 4–3 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 2004 Details | Athens | 10–9 (aet) | 6–5 | 8 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 2008 Details | Beijing | 9–8 | 9–9 (aet) (3–2) (ps) | 8 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 2012 Details | London | 8–5 | 13–11 (aet) | 8 | ||||||||||
| 5 | 2016 Details | Rio | 12–5 | 12–12 (7–6) (ps) | 8 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 2020 Details | Tokyo | 14–5 | 11–9 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 7 | 2024 Details | Paris | 11–9 | 11–10 | 10 | ||||||||||
See main article: National team appearances in the women's Olympic water polo tournament.
| Rk | Rank | Ref | Reference | p. | page | pp. | pages |
|---|
See main article: List of Olympic champions in women's water polo. Champions (results)Champions (squads)
| 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 |
See main article: List of players who have appeared in multiple women's Olympic water polo tournaments.
See main article: List of Olympic medalists in water polo (women).
See also: List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event.
See main article: List of Olympic champions in women's water polo.
Top goalscorers (one match)
Top goalscorers (one tournament)
Top goalscorers (all-time)
Top goalkeepers (one match)
Top goalkeepers (one tournament)
Top goalkeepers (all-time)
| Rk | Rank | Ref | Reference | p. | page | pp. | pages |
|---|
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.[13]
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.
As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, four NOCs won two medals in one edition of the Games.
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.
Six-time Olympian Manuel Estiarte of Spain was the flag bearer during the opening ceremony at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
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, becoming the first female water polo player to be given the honour.
| 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 | Charles Smith‡ | 33 | GK | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | 16 years (29/45) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
| 2 | 1920 O | 34 | FP | 1908 | 1912 | 4 years (22/26) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 1924 O | 37 | FP | 1924 | 0 years (37/37) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | 1928 O | 40 | GK | 1912 | 1920 | 8 years (24/32) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 1948 O | 31 | FP | 1948 | 0 years (31/31) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | 34 | FP | 1948 | 0 years (34/34) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | 1952 O | 27 | GK | 1948 | 1952 | 4 years (23/27) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | 1956 O | 25 | FP | 1956 | 0 years (25/25) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 9 | 31 | GK | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 8 years (23/31) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | 1968 O | 33 | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 8 years (25/33) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| data-sort-value="11 O" | 11 | 30 | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 8 years (21/30) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| data-sort-value="11 Z" | 11 | data-sort-value="1968 Z" | 1968 C | 30 | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 8 years (21/30) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 12 | 1972 O | 30 | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 12 years (18/30) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | data-sort-value="1976 Z" | 1976 C | 29 | GK | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 8 years (22/29) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 14 | 1980 O | 59 | FP | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 8 years (27/36) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 15 | 1984 O | 31 | FP | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 12 years (19/31) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 16 | data-sort-value="1988 Z" | 1988 C | 29 | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 8 years (25/33) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 17 | 1996 O | 30 | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 12 years (18/30) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| FP | 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | 30 | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 12 years (18/30) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| FP | 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | 2000 O | 38 | FP | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 20 years (18/38) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| 20 | 2004 O | 37 | FP | 1988 | 16 years (21/37) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | data-sort-value="2004 Z" | 2004 C | Carmela Allucci‡ | 34 | FP | 2004 | 0 years (34/34) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 22 | 2008 O | 37 | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 12 years (25/37) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| FP | 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | 2008 C | 37 | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 12 years (25/37) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| FP | 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | 2012 O | 36 | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 12 years (24/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 24 | 2016 O | 34 | GK | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 8 years (26/34) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 25 | 2016 C | 33 | FP | 2004 | 12 years (21/33) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 26 | 2020 O | Filip Filipović‡ | 34 | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (21/34) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
| 27 | 36 | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (23/36) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 28 | 2020 C | 33 | FP | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 9 years (24/33) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 29 | 35 | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 13 years (22/35) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 30 | 22 | FP | 2020 | 0 years (22/22) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Country | Flag bearer | Birth | Age | Height | Team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref | |||
| Water polo tournaments | Medals | |||||||||||||||||||||
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.
As an athlete, Victor Boin of Belgium took the first ever Olympic Oath at the 1920 Games in Antwerp.
Eugeni Asensio, a Spanish water polo referee, took the Officials' Oath at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
As a water polo referee, Australian Peter Kerr took the Officials' Oath at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Asumi Tsuzaki of Japan took the Officials' Oath at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, becoming the first female water polo referee to be given the honour.
| Year | Oath | Country | Oath taker | Birth | Age | Water polo tournament | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1920 | Athletes' Oath | 34 | 1908 | 1912 | As player | |||||
| 2 | 1992 | Officials' Oath | 1992 | As referee (official) | |||||||
| 3 | 2000 | Officials' Oath | 1996 | 2000 | As referee (official) | ||||||
| 4 | 2020 | Officials' Oath | 32 | 2020 | As referee (official) | ||||||
PDF documents in the LA84 Foundation Digital Library:
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:
PDF documents on the FINA website:
Water polo on the International Olympic Committee website:
Water polo on the Sports Reference website:
Water polo on the Todor66 website: