 |
| Aquatics Water Polo |
Water Polo had its origins in England in the 1870s, with the south coast town of Bournemouth hosting the first proper game in 1876. The first international match was played between England and Scotland in 1890 with the Scots victorious. As the century was closing, the sport gained in popularity in the United States and other European countries and as a result, it was one of the team events introduced in Paris 1900. Of all the teams sports first played in 1900 only football and water polo remain. The other team sports played in Paris were rugby, cricket, polo and tug-of-war. Women’s water polo was first played in Holland in the early 1900s. |
| Olympic history |
|
Water polo is the oldest Olympic team sport having been contested continuously at every modern Olympic Games since Paris 1900. Football also debuted in 1900 but was not held at the Los Angeles 1932 Games.
Women’s water polo made its debut in Sydney 2000. Much of the credit for its inclusion in the Olympic program can be credited to lobbying led by Australia, United States, Canada and Holland. In a fitting conclusion to the Sydney tournament, the two countries that perhaps were the greatest proponents for the sport to gain Olympic status, Australia and the United States, played off for the gold medal. In a nail-biting finish, Australia’s Yvette Higgins scored the winning goal with 1.2 seconds to play.
In the early Olympics, many of the champion swimmers doubled up to represent their countries in water polo with Johnny Weissmuller (5 gold medals in swimming, 1924-28), who was later to gain fame as Tarzan in the movies, winning a bronze medal as part of the United States team in Paris 1924.
One of the most famous Olympic water polo games was between Hungary and the USSR in Melbourne 1956. The game was played a few weeks after the USSR had invaded Hungary to quell an uprising. As a result, by the time the Olympics arrived, feelings were running high between the competitors from the two nations. Hungary won the game after a bloody contest, and then went on to win the gold medal, which was one of eight that country has won in Olympic competition.
|
| Australia and water polo |
|
|
The gold medal winning performance by the Australian women at their home Olympics in Sydney is the overwhelming highlight for Australia in this sport. In Beijing 2008, after a series of bad luck for the women's team in not reaching the grand final, they beat Hungary by one goal in a thrilling match to win bronze.
Australia first sent a men’s water polo team to London 1948 and one of the team members, Les McKay, carried the Australian flag in the Opening Ceremony. The 1948 water polo team was the first to represent Australia in a mainstream Olympic team sport. The first Wallabies had won the gold medal in rugby in London 1908, but that sport disappeared from the Olympic program after Paris 1924. Australia’s men have never won a medal in water polo with the best placing being fifth at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 and Barcelona in 1992.
|
| The sport |
|
Water polo is an extremely demanding and physical sport. Players may swim the equivalent of up to five kilometres in a singe game. To score players must throw the ball into the goal which floats on the water 3 metres wide and 0.9m high. Apart from the goalkeeper, who is allowed to touch the bottom of the pool in the 4-metre goalkeepers area, players cannot touch the bottom of the floor in any active part of the game, if so, a foul is given. Each game is played over four eight-minute periods.
Eight teams qualify for the women's division at the Olympic Games while 12 compete in the men's division. In the men's event, the qualifying teams are divided into two pools of six for a round-robin preliminary heat. The top four teams from each pool advance to the quarter-finals, and the quarter-finals winners advance to the medal rounds.
The women's teams play a full round-robin preliminary heat, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. The two teams failing to advance play to determine fifth and sixth place.
|
|
|
Water Polo Events
Men
Water Polo
Women
Water Polo
|
|
