Australia men's national water polo team
| Nickname(s) | Sharks |
|---|---|
| Association | Australian Water Polo |
| Head coach | Elvis Fatović |
| Captain | Rhys Howden |
| Olympic Games (team statistics) | |
| Appearances | 16 (first in 1948) |
| Best result | 5th place (1984, 1992) |
| World Championship | |
| Appearances | 16 (first in 1973) |
| Best result | 4th place (1998) |
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1981) |
| Best result |  (1993) |
| World League | |
| Appearances | 6 (first in 2003) |
| Best result | (2007, 2008) |
| {{{Regional cup name}}} | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2002) |
| Best result |  (2006) |
The Australian national water polo team represents Australia in men's international water polo competitions and is controlled by Australian Water Polo Inc. The national men's team has the nickname of "The Sharks". It is organised into the Asia/Oceania regional group. The national team is sponsored by Qantas airlines, Turbo Water polo and Mikasa Sports.
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.[1]
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.
Following the 2007 FINA World Championships John Fox took over as Head coach.
Tournament history
A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within Australia
Summer Olympics
| Olympics Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | |||
 1900
|
Did not participate | ||||||||
 1904
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 1908
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 1912
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 1920
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| 1924
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 1928
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| 1932
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 1936
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| 1948
|
Group Stages | 17th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
 1952
|
Group Stages | 17th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
 1956
|
Group Stages | 9th | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||
 1960
|
Group Stages | 15th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
 1964
|
Group Stages | 12th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
 1968
|
Qualified but did not compete | ||||||||
 1972
|
Group Stages | 12th | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |||
 1976
|
Group Stages | 11th | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
 1980
|
Group Stages | 7th | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1984
|
Final Group Stages | 5th | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
 1988
|
Group Stages | 8th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |||
 1992
|
Group Stages | 5th | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 1996
|
Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2000
|
Group Stages | 8th | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||
 2004
|
Group Stages | 9th | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
 2008
|
Group Stages | 8th | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2012
|
Quarterfinals | 7th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |||
 2016
|
Group stage | 9th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Total | 0 Titles | 16/27 | 100 | 28 | 13 | 59 | |||
World Championship
- 1973 — 14th place
- 1975 — 11th place
- 1978 — 9th place
- 1982 — 11th place
- 1986 — 10th place
- 1991 — 8th place
- 1994 — 10th place
- 1998 — 4th place
- 2001 — 10th place
- 2003 — 7th place
- 2005 — 10th place
- 2007 — 10th place
- 2011 — 9th place
- 2013 — 8th place
- 2015 — 8th place
FINA World Cup
- 1981 — 7th place
- 1985 — 7th place
- 1989 — 7th place
- 1991 — 7th place
- 1993 — 3rd place
- 1999 — 8th place
- 2010 — 6th place
FINA World League
- 2003 — 7th place
- 2004 — 7th place
- 2005 — 11th place
- 2006 — 4th place
- 2007 — 3rd place
- 2008 — 3rd place
- 2009 — 6th place
- 2010 — 4th place
- 2011 — 6th place
Team
Current squad
Template:2016 Summer Olympics Australia men's water polo team roster
Notable players
See also
References
- ^ "Games bid by Aust water polo team". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 December 1971. p. 11.
External links
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