Australia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece from 13 to 29 August 2004. Australian athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era. The Australian Olympic Committee sent a total of 470 athletes to the Games to compete in 29 sports.
Brenda Villa is an accomplished American water polo player. She is the most decorated athlete in the world of women’s water polo. Villa was named Female Water Polo Player of the Decade for 2000-2009 by the FINA Aquatics World Magazine. She is one of four female players who competed in water polo at four Olympics; and one of two female athletes who won four Olympic medals in water polo. She is a leading goalscorer in Olympic water polo history, with 31 goals. In 2018, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.
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.
Pietro Figlioli is an Italian water polo player. He competed for Australia at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and for Italy in 2012 and 2016 and won two medals for Italy. He also won the world title in 2011. In 2012 he received the Gold Collar of Sporting Merit from the Italian Olympic Committee.
Hungary competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Hungarian athletes have competed at every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles because of the Soviet boycott. The Hungarian Olympic Committee sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since 1956. A total of 159 athletes, 97 men and 62 women, competed in 18 sports.
Rowena Evelyn Webster, known as Rowie Webster, is an Australian water polo centre back and a three-time Olympian. She is one of three Australian players to play more than 300 international games for Australia. She has represented Australia as a member of Australia women's national water polo team on both the junior and senior level. Webster is a London Olympic bronze medalist, Junior World Champion, and was rated in the top 3 players in the world two years in a row. Webster was the Australian Women's Water Polo Captain at the 2020 Olympics.
Holly Jane Young is an Australian former water polo player. Her sister is skeleton competitor Emma Lincoln-Smith. They are the first set of Australian siblings where one competed at the Summer Olympics and the other at the Winter Olympics.
Hannah Buckling is an Australian water polo centre back. She attended the Wenona Girls School and is currently attending the University of Sydney while studying for a Bachelor of Science. She played club water polo for the Sydney Northern Beaches Breakers and as a junior player represented New South Wales in national competitions and Australia in international competitions. She plays for the Sydney Uni Lions in the National Water Polo League. As s representative of Australia on the junior and senior level, she had her first international cap during the 2008 Australian Junior Tour at the Pythia Cup. She was a member of the Australian side that finished third at the 2011 FINA Junior World Championships. As a member of the senior team, she competed at the 2011 Canada Cup and helped the team take home gold. She is one of seventeen players vying for thirteen spots to go to 2012 Summer Olympics as a member of the Australia women's national water polo team.
Jane Moran is an Australian water polo player. She won a gold medal at the 2011 Canada Cup and a silver medal at the 2010 FINA World Cup. She was part of the Australian junior national team that competed at the 2005 World Junior Championships held in Perth, Western Australia. She received her first call up to Australia's senior team in order to compete at the 2005 World Championships held in Canada, and also was invited to participate in a 2007 training camp for players who might be selected for the 2008 Summer Olympics, she was considered for that team, but did not make it. She was chosen to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and was a member of Australia's national team that won the bronze medal. At club level, she plays in the Australian National Water Polo League.
Rebecca Marie Rippon is an Australian water polo player. She represented Australia as a member of the Australia women's national water polo team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal.
Melissa Alison Rippon is an Australian water polo player. Her sister is Rebecca Rippon and her step-sister is Kate Gynther, both of whom have been members of Australia's national water polo team and competed at the Olympics. She plays for the Brisbane Barracudas who compete in the National Water Polo League. She represented Australia in water polo at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2008 Summer Olympics and at the 2012 Summer Olympics winning bronze medals at both of the latter two. She has earned a bronze medal at the 2010 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup, and a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Kate Maree Gynther is an Australian water polo player. She plays for the Brisbane Barracudas in the National Water Polo League. She represented Australia as a member of the women's senior national team at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal at the 2008 and 2012 Games. She is a leading goalscorer in Olympic water polo history, with 30 goals. She was the joint top sprinter at the 2012 Olympics with 21 sprints won; and a leading sprinter in Olympic water polo history, with 39 sprints won. She has also won a bronze medal at the 2005 Super League Finals.
Nicola Maree Zagame nicknamed Ziggy and Nicky, is an Australian water polo centre back/driver. She has represented her country as a member of Australia women's national water polo team on both the junior and senior levels, and was part of the silver winning team at the 2010 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup. She represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.
Gemma Jane Beadsworth is an Australian water polo centre forward. She has had scholarships for water polo from the Australian Institute of Sport and the Western Australian Institute of Sport. She plays for the Fremantle Marlins in the National Water Polo League. She has represented Australia on a junior and national level. She won bronze medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, and was chosen as a member of the 2012 Summer Olympics Australia women's national water polo training team. She has also won a silver medal at the 2007 World Championship, a gold medal at the 2006 World Cup and a silver medal at the 2010 World Cup.
Victoria Jayne Brown is an Australian water polo goalkeeper. Both of her parents represented their countries at the highest level in fencing. As a youngster, they believed Brown would compete in the Olympics in an equestrian event. She is currently a small business owner. She plays water polo for the Victorian Tigers of National Water Polo League. She has represented Australia as a member of the Australia women's national water polo team on both the junior and senior level. She was a member of the Australian side that won a bronze medal at the 2005 FINA World League Super Finals and the 2010 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup. She was part of the Australian team that won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She has earned several honours including being named the 2010 Australian Water Polo Female Player of the Year.
Gregory James McFadden is an Australian water polo coach and former player. He represented Australia as a member of the 1992 Summer Olympics Australia men's national water polo team. He was head coach of the Australia women's national water polo team from 2005 to 2016.
Thomas Whalan is an Australian water polo player who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics, in the 2004 Summer Olympics (Vice-Captain), in the 2008 Summer Olympics (Captain) and in the 2012 Summer Olympics representing Australia in over 350 internationals.
Melissa Jon Seidemann is an American water polo player. She won the National Championship with Stanford University in 2011. She also won the gold medal with the United States national team in the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics.
