Australia and Olympic 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. 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.
Olympic History
Water polo made its Olympic debut at the second modern Olympic Games in Paris 1900. The sport was not played four years later in St Louis but commenced its unbroken run as an Olympic sport in London 1908.
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 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.
Gold Medal Winners from the Past Three Olympic Games
Men's Tournament
Atlanta 1996 - SPAIN
Sydney 2000 - HUNGARY
Athens 2004 - HUNGARY
Women's Tournament
Atlanta 1996 - not held
Sydney 2000 - AUSTRALIA
Athens 2004 - ITALY