Greece men's national water polo team

Greece
Nickname(s) Galanolefki (The Blue-white)
Ethniki (The National)
Association Hellenic Swimming Federation
Confederation LEN (Europe)
Head coach Thodoris Vlachos
Asst coach Dimitris Kravaritis
Captain Ioannis Fountoulis
FINA code GRE
Olympic Games
Appearances 15 (first in 1920)
Best result 4th place (2004)
World Championships
Appearances 14 (first in 1973)
Best result 3rd, bronze medalist(s) (2005, 2015)
World League
Appearances 7 (first in 2002)
Best result 3rd, bronze medalist(s) (2004, 2006, 2016)
World Cup
Appearances 8 (first in 1985)
Best result 2nd, silver medalist(s) (1997)
European Championship
Appearances 17 (first in 1970)
Best result 4th place (1999, 2016)
Mediterranean Games
Appearances 8 (first in 1951)
Best result 2nd, silver medalist(s) (2018)

The Greece men's national water polo team represents Greece in international men's water polo competitions and it is organized and run by the Hellenic Swimming Federation.

Greece has a long tradition of strong presence at international level, with their major successes being the two bronze medals won at the World Championship in 2005 and 2015. The Greeks have also won a silver medal at the World Cup in 1997, three bronze medals at the World League in 2004, 2006 and 2016, as well as one silver (2018) and four bronze medals (1951, 1991, 1993, 2013) at the Mediterranean Games.

Moreover, they have closely missed a medal in the 2016 European Championship, the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2003 World Championship and the 1999 European Championship, ending up in the 4th place in all four of them. Greece is one of only nine national teams in the world to have won (at least) a medal in the World Championship, currently occupying the eighth place on the medal table, one above Germany. They have qualified at least for the quarter-finals in all their World Championship participations since 1994, winning the two aforementioned bronze medals and never finishing below the 6th place from 2001 and on.

Palmarès

Competition1st, gold medalist(s)2nd, silver medalist(s)3rd, bronze medalist(s)Total
Olympic Games ––––
World Championship ––22
World League ––33
World Cup –1–1
European Championship ––––
Mediterranean Games –145
Total–2911

World Championship

World Cup

World League

Mediterranean Games

Competitive record

Olympic Games

Greece has participated 16 times at the Olympic Games, always present in the tournament since 1980. Their best result is the 4th place at the 2004 Olympics inn Athens, after losing 5–6 to Russia in the bronze medal game. The Greeks have secured a quarter-finals' presence in six occasions.

Year Position
Belgium 19205th
France 1924First round
United Kingdom 1948First round
Japan 19647th
Mexico 196814th
West Germany 197214th
Soviet Union 198010th
United States 19848th
South Korea 19889th
Spain 199210th
United States 19966th
Australia 200010th
Greece 20044th
China 20087th
United Kingdom 20129th
Brazil 20166th
Total16/27

World Championship

Greece has a strong presence at the World Aquatics Championships, where they have been placed third in the world in two occasions. The first was in 2005 in Montreal, after their 11–10 victory over Croatia in the bronze medal game, with Georgios Afroudakis scoring the winning goal, with a spectacular backhand shot, with only 11 seconds left in the overtime.[1] The second one was in 2015 in Kazan, after their penalty shootout win over Italy in the bronze medal game. Greece has qualified at least for the quarter-finals in all their tournament participations since 1994, with the 6th place being their lowest position from 2001 and on.

Christos Afroudakis (left) and Manolis Mylonakis (right) are the two players who have won both the 2005 and the 2015 bronze medals of Greece at the World Championship.
Year Position
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 197312th
West Germany 197812th
Ecuador 198212th
Spain 198611th
Australia 199110th
Italy 19947th
Australia 19988th
Japan 20016th
Spain 20034th
Canada 2005
Australia 20076th
Spain 20136th
Russia 2015
Hungary 20174th
Total14/17

World League

Greece had a regular presence at the FINA Water Polo World League during the first years of the competition, starting from 2002. They have won three bronze medals so far in 2004, 2006 and 2016.

Year Position
Greece 20024th
United States 20035th
United States 2004
Serbia and Montenegro 20055th
Greece 2006
Italy 20088th
China 2016
Total7/15

World Cup

Greece had qualified for the FINA Water Polo World Cup in all but two occasions between 1985 and 2006, winning the silver medal in 1997 in Athens, losing 5–8 to the United States in the final.

Year Position
West Germany 19858th
Greece 19878th
Greece 19937th
United States 19956th
Greece 1997
Australia 19997th
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 20025th
Hungary 20067th
Total8/15

European Championship

As one of the most competitive European nations in water polo, Greece is a regular contestant at the European Water Polo Championship since 1989, although they have yet to win a medal, with their best results being the 4th place in 1999 in Florence and in 2016 in Belgrade.

Year Position
Spain 197010th
Bulgaria 19858th
West Germany 198911th
Greece 19916th
United Kingdom 19937th
Austria 19959th
Spain 19977th
Italy 19994th
Hungary 20017th
Slovenia 20037th
Serbia 20066th
Spain 200811th
Croatia 20109th
Netherlands 20126th
Hungary 20146th
Serbia 20164th
Spain 20185th
Total17/33

Team

Current squad

Roster for the 2018 Men's European Water Polo Championship.[2]

Head coach: Thodoris Vlachos

No Name Date of birth Position L/R Height Weight Club
1Konstantinos Flegkas17 July 1988GoalkeeperR1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)90 kg (200 lb)Greece NC Ydraikos
2Konstantinos Genidounias3 May 1993Field playerR1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)90 kg (200 lb)Greece Olympiacos
3Dimitrios Skoumpakis18 December 1998DefenderR2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)110 kg (240 lb)Greece ANO Glyfada
4Dimitrios Nikolaidis10 June 1999DefenderR1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)100 kg (220 lb)Greece Olympiacos
5Ioannis Fountoulis (C)25 May 1988Field playerR1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)90 kg (200 lb)Greece Olympiacos
6Marios Kapotsis13 September 1991WingR1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)87 kg (192 lb)Greece NC Vouliagmeni
7Georgios Dervisis30 October 1994Field playerR1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)95 kg (209 lb)Greece Olympiacos
8Stylianos Argyropoulos2 August 1996Centre forwardR1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)96 kg (212 lb)Greece Olympiacos
9Konstantinos Mourikis11 July 1988Centre forwardR1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)109 kg (240 lb)Greece Olympiacos
10Christodoulos Kolomvos26 October 1988Centre forwardR1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)105 kg (231 lb)Turkey Enka SK
11Alexandros Gounas3 October 1989Field playerR1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)73 kg (161 lb)Greece Olympiacos
12Angelos Vlachopoulos28 September 1991Field playerR1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)77 kg (170 lb)Hungary Egri VK
13Emmanouil Zerdevas12 August 1997GoalkeeperR1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)90 kg (200 lb)Greece NC Vouliagmeni

World Championship medal-winning squads

The following are the bronze medal-winning Greek rosters in the men's water polo tournaments of the 2005 and the 2015 World Championships:

Notable coaches

Alessandro Campagna

References

  1. ↑ Το χάλκινο μετάλλιο της Εθνικής ομάδας πόλο των ανδρών στο Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα του 2005 στο Μόντρεαλ sport24.gr, 30 July 2014 (in Greek)
  2. ↑ "Team Roster" (PDF). wp2018bcn.microplustiming.com. 16 July 2018.
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