Olympiacos Water Polo Club

Olympiacos
Nickname Thrylos (The Legend)
Erythrolefkoi (The Red-Whites)
Founded 1925
League Greek Water Polo League
LEN Champions League
Based in Piraeus, Greece
Arena Papastrateio Hall Piraeus
(Capacity: 1000)
Colors           Red, White
President Michalis Kountouris
Head coach Thodoris Vlachos
Championships 2 LEN Champions Leagues
1 LEN Super Cup
2 Triple Crowns
32 Greek Championships
19 Greek Cups
3 Greek Super Cups
Website olympiacossfp.gr

Olympiacos Water Polo Club is the men's water polo team of the major Greek multi-sport club Olympiacos CFP, based in Piraeus. It was founded in 1925 and was among the founding members of the Hellenic Swimming Federation.

Olympiacos is one of the most successful teams in Europe and a traditional powerhouse of continental water polo, having won two LEN Champions Leagues,[1] one LEN Super Cup and two Triple Crowns. In 2002 Olympiacos became the first club ever in water polo history (since the establishment of the modern Champions League format in 1996) to win four out of four competitions in a single year, thus completing the quadruple, comprising the aforementioned Triple Crown (LEN Champions League, Greek Championship, Greek Cup) and the LEN Super Cup.[2][3][4] In 2018, Olympiacos won their second LEN Champions League title and completed the second Triple Crown in their history (LEN Champions League, Greek Championship, Greek Cup).[5] Besides their 2002 and 2018 triumphs, Olympiacos have also been twice runners-up of the LEN Champions League, reaching the final of the 2001 LEN Champions League in Dubrovnik and the final of the 2016 LEN Champions League in Budapest and twice runners-up of the LEN Cup Winners' Cup in 1998 and 1999.

Olympiacos is by far the most successful Greek water polo club in European competitions, being the only Greek club to have won two LEN Champions Leagues, the LEN Super Cup and two Triple Crowns and the only Greek club to have reached a total of 7 European finals. In 2002, they won both the 2002 LEN Champions League and the 2002 LEN Super Cup in Budapest, beating home teams Honvéd and Vasas respectively.[6][7][8] In 2018, they won the 2018 LEN Champions League in Genoa, beating once again a home team in the final, the Italian powerhouse Pro Recco, the most successful club in the competition with 8 titles.[9]

Domestically, Olympiacos has won 32 Greek Championships,[10] a record 19 Greek Cups,[11][12] a record 16 Doubles and a record 2 Greek Super Cups. From the 2006–07 through the 2017–18 season, Olympiacos won ten Doubles (Greek Championship and Greek Cup) in 12 seasons, five of them straight (2007–2011), and six more undefeated and having won every game (without even a single draw) in both the Greek League and the Greek Cup (2008–09, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18). The club also holds many more unique records in the domestic competitions. They have achieved an all-time record (ongoing) of 138 straight wins in both the regular season and the play-offs of the Greek Water Polo League (–last defeat on 8 May 2013–).[13][14][15][16] Additionally, Olympiacos holds the record for the fewest losses (overall), the most goals scored in a season (446 goals in season 2017–18, beating their previous record of 444 goals in season 2015–16), and the fewest goals conceded in a season (100 goals in season 2015–16).

After the 2015 LEN Euroleague win of Olympiacos Women's Water Polo Team, Olympiacos CFP became the only multi-sport club in European Water Polo history after Pro Recco to have been crowned European Champions with both its Men's and Women's departments,[17] and the only one with both its departments currently active (Pro Recco Women's department has been dissolved since 2012).[18]

Some of the greatest players in European water polo have played for Olympiacos over the years including: Thodoris Chatzitheodorou, Josip Pavić, Petar Trbojević, Andro Bušlje, Paulo Obradović, Slobodan Nikić, Giannis Fountoulis, Konstantinos Mourikis, Teo Đogaš, Mlađan Janović, Nikola Rađen, Makis Voltirakis, Antonis Vlontakis, Nikos Deligiannis, Thodoris Kalakonas, Themis Chatzis, Giannis Thomakos, Giorgos Psychos, Sakis Platanitis, Dimitris Kravaritis, Vangelis Delakas, Manolis Mylonakis, Tasos Schizas, Giorgos Afroudakis, Christos Afroudakis, Giorgos Ntoskas, Kyriakos Giannopoulos, Nikos Venetopoulos, Tamás Dala, Chris Humbert, Gavin Arroyo, Jesse Smith, Andrija Komadina, Tihomil Vranješ, Thomas Schertwitis, Blai Mallarach, Albert Español, Christodoulos Kolomvos, Angelos Vlachopoulos, Dimitris Mazis, Alexandros Gounas, Giorgos Dervisis and Konstantinos Genidounias. Such players, under the guidance of world-class coaches like Nikola Stamenić, Zoltán Kásás, Boris Popov, Dragan Matutinović, Mile Nakić and Thodoris Vlachos have made Olympiacos one of the most successful teams in European water polo the last 25 years (only Pro Recco, Jug and Posillipo have won more LEN Champions League titles than Olympiacos since 1993).

Honours

Domestic competitions

Olympiacos Water Polo team in 1927. This roster won the first Greek League title in Olympiacos' long history.
  • Greek League
    • Winners (32): 1927, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1969, 1971, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
  • Greek Cup
    • Winners (19) (record): 1991–92, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18
  • Greek Super Cup
    • Winners (3) (record): 1997, 1998, 2018[19]
  • Double
    • Winners (16) (record): 1991–92, 1992–93, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18

European competitions

International record

Season Achievement Notes
LEN Champions League
2000–01 Final won 7–6 against Posillipo in the semi-final, lost 7–8 to Jug in the final in Dubrovnik
2001–02 European
Champions		 won 8–5 against Jug in the semi-final and 9–7 against Honvéd in the final in Budapest
2006–07 Final Four 4th place. Defeated 9–10 by Pro Recco in the semi-final and 13–15 by Partizan in the 3rd place game
2015–16 Final won 8–7 against Szolnoki in the semi-final, lost 4–6 to Jug in the final in Budapest
2016–17 Final Six 6th place. Defeated 8–11 by Jug in the quarter-final and 5–8 by Brescia in the 5th place game
2017–18 European
Champions		 won 6–4 against CNA Barceloneta in the semi-final and 9–7 against Pro Recco in the final in Genoa
LEN Cup Winners' Cup
1997–98 Final defeated by Ferencváros, won 7–6 in Athens, lost 6–8 in Budapest
1998–99 Final defeated by Mladost, lost 4–13 in Zagreb, won 10–6 in Athens
LEN Super Cup
2002 Supercup
Champions		 won 6–5 against Vasas in Budapest

The road to two LEN Champions League victories

Current roster

2018–19

Olympiacos goalkeeper Josip Pavić, FINA World Water Polo Player of the Year in 2012, captained Olympiacos to the 2018 Champions League triumph and was voted Final Eight MVP.
Number Nationality Player Height Date of birth
Goalkeepers (2)
1 Croatia Josip Pavić (C) 1.95 1982-01-15
13 Greece Stefanos Galanopoulos 1.97 1993-02-22
Defense (2)
7 Greece Giorgos Dervisis 1.95 1994-10-30
8 Croatia Andro Bušlje 2.00 1986-01-04
Offense (2)
6 Greece Dimitris Nikolaidis 1.94 1999-06-10
9 Greece Konstantinos Mourikis 1.97 1988-07-11
Midfield (7)
2 Greece Manolis Mylonakis 1.85 1985-04-09
4 Greece Konstantinos Genidounias 1.82 1993-05-03
5 Greece Giannis Fountoulis 1.86 1988-05-25
10 Greece Alexandros Gounas 1.79 1989-10-03
11 Greece Stelios Argyropoulos 1.90 1996-08-02
12 Croatia Paulo Obradović 1.90 1986-03-09
15 Greece Manolis Prekas 1.86 1996-02-28
Coach
Greece Thodoris Vlachos
Assistant Coach
Greece Vangelis Delakas

Notable players

Source:[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]

Notable coaches

Hall of Fame coach Ivo Trumbić, under whose guidance Olympiacos won the title in 1971.[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Όταν η Ευρώπη υποκλίθηκε στον Ολυμπιακό (in Greek). onsports.gr. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  2. ↑ Έγραψε ιστορία ο Θρύλος (in Greek). sport.gr. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  3. ↑ Εγραψε ιστορία! Ο λόγος για τον Ολυμπιακό που έγραψε τη δική του χρυσή ιστορία στο πόλο αφού κέρδισε 6–5 την ουγγρική Βάσας μέσα στο σπίτι της και είναι η μοναδική ομάδα στην ιστορία του αθλήματος που κατάφερε να κατακτήσει και τα τέσσερα τρόπαια που διεκδίκησε (in Greek), rizospastis.gr, 31 December 2002
  4. ↑ Σαν σήμερα κοκκίνησε τον Δούναβη, Πρωταθλητής Ευρώπης στο πόλο ο Θρύλος (in Greek). newsnow.gr. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Έγραψε ιστορία, Champions League μέσ' στην Ιταλία! (pics & vids)" (in Greek). Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  6. ↑ Όταν σήκωσε το Ευρωπαϊκό το 2002 (in Greek). redplanet.gr. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  7. ↑ Οι Ευρωπαϊκές κούπες (in Greek). redplanet.gr. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "Coppa dei Campioni (Results)" (in Italian). cnposillipostory.net. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "Olympiacos is back to the Olympos after 16 years". LEN. 10 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Βουλιαγμένη – Ολυμπιακός 7–8 (in Greek). sport24. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  11. ↑ Βουλιαγμένη – Ολυμπιακός 5–6 (in Greek). redplanet.gr. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  12. ↑ Η "χρυσή βίβλος" των τελικών (in Greek). onsports.gr. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  13. ↑ Ποια ρεκόρ "έσπασαν" οι "ερυθρόλευκοι" στο πόλο. fosonline.gr. (in Greek). 26 May 2018.
  14. ↑ «Αιώνιος» και πανάξιος πρωταθλητής. O Θρύλος μετράει 111 διαδοχικές νίκες στους αγώνες του πρωταθλήματος. Olympiacos official website, 8 May 2017 (in Greek)
  15. ↑ Τέλος στο σερί των 101 σερί νικών για τον Ολυμπιακό (in Greek). zougla.gr. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  16. ↑ Τα σερί είναι για να "σπάνε", αλλά όχι έτσι (in Greek). sport-fm.gr. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  17. ↑ Έγραψε ιστορία ο Ολυμπιακός – Πρωταθλητής Ευρώπης στο πόλο γυναικών (in Greek). express.gr. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "Imperia ladies take European Super Cup". waterpoloworld.com. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  19. ↑ https://www.gavros.gr/article/polo/267573-h-prwth-koypa-ths-xronias-pics
  20. ↑ "1951: The Champions of Olympiacos Piraeus". waterpololegends.com.
  21. ↑ "1952: The winners of Olympiacos Piraeus". waterpololegends.com.
  22. ↑ "1959: The team of Olympiacos Pireaus". waterpololegends.com.
  23. ↑ "1968: The Juniors of Olympiacos Piraeus". waterpololegends.com.
  24. ↑ "1969: The team of Olympiacos Piraeus". waterpololegends.com.
  25. ↑ "1971: The winners of Olympiacos Piraeus". waterpololegends.com.
  26. ↑ "1971: The Champions of Olympiacos Piraeus – Olympiacos Piraeus, winner of the Greek National Championship in 1971 coached by the legendary Ivo Trumbic". waterpololegends.com.
  27. ↑ "1979: The team of Olympiacos Piraeus". waterpololegends.com.
  28. ↑ "Ivo Trumbic inducted into Swimming Hall of Fame". waterpoloworld.com. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
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