Greece men's national water polo team

Last updated
Greece
Flag of Greece.svg
FINA code GRE
Nickname(s)Galanolefki (The Blue-white)
Ethniki (The National)
Association Hellenic Swimming Federation
Confederation LEN (Europe)
Head coach Thodoris Vlachos
Asst coach Anastasios Schizas
Emmanuel Vassiliades
Captain Ioannis Fountoulis
Top scorer(s)Ioannis Fountoulis
FINA ranking (since 2008)
Current3 (as of 31 July 2023)
Highest1 (2021–2022)
Lowest16 (2011)
Olympic Games  (team statistics)
Appearances 16 (first in 1920 )
Best resultSilver medal icon.svg (2020)
5-time Olympian(s) George Mavrotas (1984–2000)
Georgios Afroudakis (1996–2012)
Top scorer(s) Kyriakos Giannopoulos (44 goals, 1980–1992)
World Championship
Appearances18 (first in 1973 )
Best resultSilver medal icon.svg (2023)
World Cup
Appearances9 (first in 1985 )
Best resultSilver medal icon.svg (1997)
World League
Appearances7 (first in 2002 )
Best resultBronze medal icon.svg (2004, 2006, 2016, 2020)
European Championship
Appearances19 (first in 1970 )
Best result4th place (1999, 2016)
Mediterranean Games
Appearances8 (first in 1951)
Best resultSilver medal icon.svg (2018)
Media
Website koe.org.gr (in Greek)
Last updated: 8 August 2021

The Greece men's national water polo team represents Greece in international men's water polo competitions and it is organized and run by the Hellenic Swimming Federation.

Contents

Greece has a long tradition of strong presence at international level, with their major successes being the silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games and three bronze medals won at the World Championship in 2005, 2015 and 2022. The Greeks have also won a silver medal at the World Cup in 1997, three bronze medals at the World League in 2004, 2006 and 2016, as well as one silver (2018) and four bronze medals (1951, 1991, 1993, 2013) at the Mediterranean Games.

Moreover, they have closely missed a medal in the 2016 European Championship, the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2003 World Championship and the 1999 European Championship, ending up in the 4th place in all four of them. Greece is one of only nine national teams in the world to have won (at least) a medal in the World Championship, currently occupying the eighth place on the medal table, one above Germany. They have qualified at least for the quarter-finals in all their World Championship participations since 1994, winning the two aforementioned bronze medals and never finishing below the 6th place from 2001 and on.

Honours

CompetitionGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgTotal
Olympic Games 11
World Championship 134
World Cup 11
World League 44
European Championship
Mediterranean Games 145
Total41115

Olympic Games

World Championship

World Cup

World League

Mediterranean Games

Competitive record

Olympic Games

Greece has participated 16 times at the Olympic Games, always present in the tournament since 1980. Their best result is the 2nd place at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, after losing 13–10 to Serbia in the gold medal game. The Greeks have secured a quarter-finals' presence in six occasions. [1]

YearPosition
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 1920 8th
Flag of France.svg 1924 13th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 1948 15th
Flag of Mexico.svg 1968 14th
Flag of Germany.svg 1972 14th
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg 1980 10th
Flag of the United States.svg 1984 8th
Flag of South Korea.svg 1988 9th
Flag of Spain.svg 1992 10th
Flag of the United States.svg 1996 6th
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2000 10th
Flag of Greece.svg 2004 4th
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2008 7th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 2012 9th
Flag of Brazil.svg 2016 6th
Flag of Japan.svg 2020 Silver medal icon.svg
Flag of France.svg 2024 Qualified
Total17/28

World Championship

Greece has a strong presence at the World Aquatics Championships, where they have been placed third in the world in two occasions. [1] The first was in 2005 in Montreal, after their 11–10 victory over Croatia in the bronze medal game, with Georgios Afroudakis scoring the winning goal, with a spectacular backhand shot, with only 11 seconds left in the overtime. [2] The second one was in 2015 in Kazan, after their penalty shootout win over Italy in the bronze medal game. Greece has qualified at least for the quarter-finals in all their tournament participations since 1994, with a 7th place being their lowest position from 2001 and on when the team qualified.

Christos Afroudakis.JPG
Manolis Mylonakis.JPG
Christos Afroudakis (left) and Manolis Mylonakis (right) are the two players who have won both the 2005 and the 2015 bronze medals of Greece at the World Championship.
YearPosition
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg 1973 12th
Flag of Germany.svg 1978 12th
Flag of Ecuador.svg 1982 12th
Flag of Spain.svg 1986 11th
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1991 10th
Flag of Italy.svg 1994 7th
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1998 8th
Flag of Japan.svg 2001 6th
Flag of Spain.svg 2003 4th
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg 2005 Bronze medal icon.svg
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2007 6th
Flag of Spain.svg 2013 6th
Flag of Russia.svg 2015 Bronze medal icon.svg
Flag of Hungary.svg 2017 4th
Flag of South Korea.svg 2019 7th
Flag of Hungary.svg 2022 Bronze medal icon.svg
Flag of Japan.svg 2023 Silver medal icon.svg
Flag of Qatar.svg 2024 5th
Total18/21

World Cup

Greece had qualified for the FINA Water Polo World Cup in all but two occasions between 1985 and 2006, winning the silver medal in 1997 in Athens, losing 5–8 to the United States in the final. [1]

YearPosition
Flag of Germany.svg 1985 8th
Flag of Greece.svg 1987 8th
Flag of Greece.svg 1993 7th
Flag of the United States.svg 1995 6th
Flag of Greece.svg 1997 Silver medal icon.svg
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1999 7th
Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg 2002 5th
Flag of Hungary.svg 2006 7th
Flag of the United States.svg 2023 5th
Total9/17

World League

Greece had a regular presence at the FINA Water Polo World League during the first years of the competition, starting from 2002. They have won four bronze medals so far in 2004, 2006, 2016 and 2020. [1]

YearPosition
Flag of Greece.svg 2002 4th
Flag of the United States.svg 2003 5th
Flag of the United States.svg 2004 Bronze medal icon.svg
Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg 2005 5th
Flag of Greece.svg 2006 Bronze medal icon.svg
Flag of Italy.svg 2008 8th
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2016 Bronze medal icon.svg
Flag of Georgia.svg 2020 Bronze medal icon.svg
Total8/20

European Championship

As one of the most competitive European nations in water polo, Greece is a regular contestant at the European Water Polo Championship since 1989, although they have yet to win a medal, with their best results being the 4th place in 1999 in Florence and in 2016 in Belgrade.

YearPosition
Flag of Spain.svg 1970 10th
Flag of Bulgaria.svg 1985 8th
Flag of Germany.svg 1989 11th
Flag of Greece.svg 1991 6th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 1993 7th
Flag of Austria.svg 1995 9th
Flag of Spain.svg 1997 7th
Flag of Italy.svg 1999 4th
Flag of Hungary.svg 2001 7th
Flag of Slovenia.svg 2003 8th
Flag of Serbia.svg 2006 6th
Flag of Spain.svg 2008 11th
Flag of Croatia.svg 2010 9th
Flag of the Netherlands.svg 2012 6th
Flag of Hungary.svg 2014 6th
Flag of Serbia.svg 2016 4th
Flag of Spain.svg 2018 5th
Flag of Hungary.svg 2020 7th
Flag of Croatia.svg 2022 5th
Flag of Croatia.svg 2024 5th
Flag of Serbia.svg 2026 Qualified
Total21/36

Team

Current squad

Roster for the 2024 World Championships. [3]

Head coach: Theodoros Vlachos

World Championship medal-winning squads

The following are the medal-winning Greek rosters in the men's water polo tournaments of the Water polo at the World Aquatics Championships:

Notable coaches

Alessandro Campagna Alessandro Campagna (2).JPG
Alessandro Campagna

See also

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References

  1. 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.
  2. Το χάλκινο μετάλλιο της Εθνικής ομάδας πόλο των ανδρών στο Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα του 2005 στο Μόντρεαλ sport24.gr, 30 July 2014 (in Greek)
  3. "21st World Aquatics World Championships Men's Water Polo Team Roster GRE" (PDF). Omega Timing. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  4. Water polo at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships - Final Standings - Games - Rosters www.worldaquatics.com
  5. Water polo at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships - 3rd place match: Greece - Italy 11-9 waterpolo.sportresult.com
  6. Water polo at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships - 3rd place match:: Greece - Croatia 9-7 waterpolo.sportresult.com
  7. Water polo at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships - Final: Hungary - Greece 14-13 (pen.) waterpolo.sportresult.com