Australia men's national water polo team

Last updated

Australia
Flag of Australia.svg
FINA code AUS
Nickname(s)Aussie Sharks [1]
Association Water Polo Australia
Confederation OSA (Oceania)
Head coach Timothy Hamill
Asst coach Dean Semmens
Andrew Yanitsas
Captain Nathan Power
FINA ranking (since 2008)
Current11 (as of 9 August 2021)
Highest7 (2012)
Lowest11 (2016, 2021)
Olympic Games  (team statistics)
Appearances 18 (first in 1948 )
Best result5th place (1984, 1992)
World Championship
Appearances22 (first in 1973 )
Best result4th place (1998)
World Cup
Appearances9 (first in 1981 )
Best resultSilver medal icon.svg (2018)
World League
Appearances17 (first in 2003 )
Best resultBronze medal icon.svg (2007, 2008, 2019)
Commonwealth Championship
Appearances2 (first in 2002)
Best resultGold medal icon.svg (2006)
Media
Website waterpoloaustralia.com.au

The Australian national water polo team represents Australia in men's international water polo competitions and is controlled by Water Polo Australia. The national men's team has the nickname of "The Sharks". It is organised into the Asia/Oceania regional group.

Contents

History

Australia has competed internationally since the 1948 London Olympic Games, and has qualified for all subsequent Olympic tournaments except Atlanta in 1996, and although not achieving the success of European teams, has remained relatively competitive at international level since.

In 1968, the team qualified to compete at the Mexico Olympic Games, but was denied entry by the Australian Olympic Federation. [2]

Australia scored their first point in Olympic competition when they drew with Bulgaria in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

The Australian team placed 5th in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the highest Olympic placing so far, and finished 4th in the World Championships at home in Perth in 1998.

Australia's best international water polo success came in 1996, when the Sharks won the six-nation Control Cup in Hungary, and followed it up with a bronze medal at an eight nation tournament in Italy in the same year. However, they failed to qualify for that year's Olympics for the first time since 1948.

A reinvigorated youthful team managed to finish second to Canada in an international tournament in England in 2002, and in 2003, they beat then world champions Serbia 12–11 in a FINA Water Polo World League match in Hungary, and followed it up by beating Croatia 10–6 at the 2003 Water polo world championship in Barcelona, Spain.

Australia finished 2nd at the 2018 World Cup in Berlin, Germany. [1]

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Australia surprisingly beat former champion Croatia. Yet, the Australians were not to able progress through to the quarter finals, but still managed to clinch two wins out of their five games. [1]

Tournament history

A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within Australia

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year [3] RoundPositionPldWDL
Flag of France.svg 1900 did not participate
Flag of the United States.svg 1904
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 1908
Flag of Sweden.svg 1912
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 1920
Flag of France.svg 1924
Flag of the Netherlands.svg 1928
Flag of the United States.svg 1932
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg 1936
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 1948 Group stages17th2002
Flag of Finland.svg 1952 Group stages17th2002
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1956 Group stages9th6105
Flag of Italy.svg 1960 Group stages15th3003
Flag of Japan.svg 1964 Group stages12th2002
Flag of Mexico.svg 1968 qualified but did not compete
Flag of Germany.svg 1972 Group stages12th9027
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg 1976 Group stages11th8116
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg 1980 Group stages7th8512
Flag of the United States.svg 1984 Final Group stages5th8224
Flag of South Korea.svg 1988 Group stages8th8305
Flag of Spain.svg 1992 Group stages5th8422
Flag of the United States.svg 1996 did not qualify
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2000 Group stages8th8125
Flag of Greece.svg 2004 Group stages9th8314
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2008 Group stages8th7313
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 2012 Quarter-finals7th8305
Flag of Brazil.svg 2016 Group stage9th5212
Flag of Japan.svg 2020 Group stage9th5203
Flag of France.svg 2024 Quarterfinals8th8314
Total0 Titles18/28113331466

World Championship

World Cup

World League

Commonwealth Championship

  • 2002 – Silver medal icon.svg Silver medal
  • 2006 – Gold medal icon.svg Gold medal

Team

Current squad

Roster for the 2025 World Championships. [4] [5]

Head coach: Timothy Hamill

Notable players

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Swimming to success: Q&A with the Australian men’s water polo goalie Anthony Hrysanthos Marianna Alepidis (Neos Kosmos), 16 August 2021. Accessed 13 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "Games bid by Aust water polo team". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 December 1971. p. 11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "HistoFINA – Water polo medalists and statistics" (PDF). fina.org. FINA. September 2019. pp. 4, 14, 25, 40, 48. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Men's Water Polo Team Roster AUS" (PDF). Omega Timing. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  5. ↑ "Men's Water Polo Team Roster AUS (2)" (PDF). Omega Timing. 20 July 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
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