Water Polo in the Summer Olympics
Water polo is increasing its popularity in large numbers to the spectators around the world. According to a recent survey, approximately 478,791 persons are registered as water polo players worldwide. Water polo has started its inauguration since the second game of 1900. For the Summer Olympics of 2000, a women's water polo competition was successfully incorporated.
The water polo competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics will be held at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center in Kōtō. The competition will feature twenty-two teams, an addition of two from former editions. Games that finish in draws in elimination rounds have been decided by shootouts since Rio 2016, while overtime has been halted since 2013.
The qualifying process has been originally split into five sections since 2012. They are including the host nation's squad automatically qualified. In the FINA World League, we can observe that only one team is qualified as the top team and only three teams may qualify as the top teams in the World Aquatics Championships. While no more than five teams will be determined as the champions of the continental Olympic qualification competition. Then, only four teams qualify via a world qualifying competition, where the top teams from each region who did not qualify directly compete for the remaining spots.
If we go through the sport's format, then it stands in a pattern like both the men's and women's competitions at the 2020 Olympics will include a round-robin group stage followed by a knockout stage. Teams are divided into two groups, with each team playing each other team in its group once. A win shows receiving 2 points, a draw earns 1 point, and a defeat earns 0 points. Each group's top four teams progress to the knockout rounds. Quarterfinals, semifinals, and gold and bronze medal matches make up the knockout stages, which is basically shaped as a single-elimination competition.
Matches are divided into four quarters, and each of which lasts eight minutes. If the score is shown tied after four quarters in the knockout rounds, penalty shootouts are utilized to decide the winner. And the penalty shootouts originally consist of five rounds with the additional rounds being used if tied.
Top Medalist Nations
Hungary has won the men's tournament the most times, while the United States is the only team to win the women's event numerous times since its inception. Italy is the only country to have won both the men's and women's water polo competitions.
Hungary (HUN) 15 medals (Gold 9), Italy (ITA) 10 medals (Gold 4), Great Britain (GBR) 4 medals (Gold 4), Yugoslavia (YUG) 8 Medals (Gold 3), United States (USA) 11 medals (Gold 2), Soviet Union (URS) 7 medals (Gold 2), Croatia (CRO) 3 medals (Gold 1), Germany (GER) 3 medals (Gold 1), Spain (ESP) 3 medals (Gold 1), France (FRA) 4 Medals (Gold 1).
The odds on water polo at the Summer Olympics is in the menu to the left.