Water polo at the Summer Olympics
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.
Water polo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Water polo final at the 1908 London Olympics
Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center was used at the 2020 Olympics in water polo.
Serbia men's national water polo team celebrated after the gold medal match of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins the match. Each team is made up of six field players and one goalkeeper. Excluding the goalkeeper, players participate in both offensive and defensive roles. It is typically played in an all-deep pool where players cannot touch the bottom.
Greece (white) and Hungary (blue) play a water polo match at the World Junior Championships 2004 in Naples, Italy.
Goalkeeper blocking a shot
A classic 4–2 man-up situation. The attacking white team has 4 players positioned on 2 metres, and 2 players positioned on 4 metres. The 5 outfield defending blue players try to block shots and prevent a goal being scored for the 20 seconds of man-down play. In the top left corner, the shot clock can be seen, showing 28 seconds remaining in the white attack.
Water polo defense: A defender may only hold, block or pull an opponent who is touching or holding the ball.