Playing Water Polo in the Adriatic

Have you ever wondered why there are so many world-class water polo players in Countries around the Adriatic? Just look at the map: the countries around the Adriatic are homes of the best water polo teams in the world: Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Monte Negro… also Hungary and Serbia not too far, with many of their players visiting Adriatic during the summer. Many of them not only played water polo in the Adriatic but had their practice sessions and training camps organized on the Adriatic coast.

Playing polo in the sea brings new challenges. The water in the pool may get white during the game, but only occasionally can match the waves and currents that could be present in the playground marked up on the surface of the Adriatic Sea. The Croatian Adriatic coast boasts the greatest number of water polo teams per square mile, a factor that positively contributes to the quality of polo in Croatia – and surrounding countries.

 

Croatia

Croatia’s men water polo national team won silver at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and at the 1999 and 2003 European Water Polo Championship. In 2007, Croatia won the World Water Polo Championship in Melbourne, Australia.

Italy

Italian men’s water polo team has won 6 Olympic medals, 5 World Championships, 5 World Cup medals, and one World League medal.
The Italy women’s national water polo team is one of the leading teams in Europe since the mid-1990s and gold medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Slovenia

Slovenia has several strong club teams who successfully competed on the international scene, including Koper and Triglav (Kranj).

Serbia

Serbian man national team won European champions in 2001, 2003, and 2006 and was bronze medalist on Olympic Games 2008 and FINA World League gold medalist 2007 and 2008.

Monte Negro

As of July 13, 2008, Montenegro man national water polo team are the reigning European water polo champions, having won Serbia 6-5 in overtime in the final of the LEN European Championships held in Málaga, Spain. The team was 4th in 2008 Olympic games.

Hungary

Hungary women’s national water polo team is one of the leading teams in Europe since the early 1990s, claiming the world title at the 1994 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Italy. Hungary’s man national water polo team won 15 Olympic, 9 World Championship, 5 FINA World League, 8 FINA World Cup and 21 European Championship medals, making them so far the most successful national team in the world.

Yugoslavia

Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia together from 1920 to 1992: 7 Olympic, 4 World Championship, 5 World Cup and 12 European Championship medals.