Women’s water polo to achieve gender parity at LA28 Olympics with 12 teams
Women’s water polo will finally have gender parity at the Olympics, as at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, there will be as many teams as in the men’s tournament – 12. Water polo is the last among the team sports in the Olympic programme for this to happen.
The decision of the International Olympic Committee follows last week’s approval by the Olympic Programme Commission of World Aquatics’ recommendation to expand the Women’s Water Polo Tournament from 10 teams to 12. The IOC Executive Board unanimously endorsed this change, ensuring equal participation for men’s and women’s teams at LA28.
World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam applauded the news, saying, ‘This is an historic achievement for women’s water polo. Expanding the Olympic tournament to 12 teams not only ensures gender parity but also reflects the sport’s remarkable growth and global reach. We look forward to an incredible competition in Los Angeles.’
Women’s water polo had to wait until 2000 to enter the Games, and back then in Sydney, only six teams took part in the inaugural tournament.
Four years later, the number went up to eight, while the men’s event already featured 12 sides. Over those years, women’s Olympic qualification was considered one of the fiercest competitions – the drama and, ultimately, the cruelty of the quarter-final day, when everything was decided, saw joyful celebrations, but also tears and utter desperation.
Probably the 2012 qualification tournament in Trieste saw one of the most painful scenes ever when reigning world champions Greece and Olympic title-holders Netherlands failed to make the cut in the same afternoon, after losing their respective quarter-final clashes.
Indeed, these two powerhouses fell again before Rio 2016, again amidst dramatic circumstances and Greece, silver medallists back in their home Games in 2004, had to wait until last year to return to the Olympic stage. (Though another rise came for Tokyo 2020, when 10 teams could qualify).
Speaking in Tokyo in 2021, USA head coach Adam Krikorian – a huge champion for parity in Olympic women’s water polo – said about the increase to 10 teams, ‘It’s a step in the right direction. But when they announced the increase (from eight to 10), I felt a combination of excitement and disappointment. In this day and age, it’s embarrassing, to be honest.
‘The women on my team, and not just my team, but every team here, put in just as much effort as the guys do. It’s about time they were paired up.’
Krikorian and everyone connected to women’s water polo have finally got their wish, and this further expansion may guarantee that all the great teams will be part of the show in Los Angeles, including Europe’s finest.
In Paris last summer, Spain finally landed their first Olympic title, while the Netherlands took bronze by beating the US team, winner of the previous three editions, in an incredible match.
Hungary, Italy and Greece all booked their respective spots in 2024, besides host France, and they are all expected to make the trip to Los Angeles.
Time will tell if any other sides are strong enough in the European pool to join them in 2028.
The men’s event remains the same, with 12 teams, and World Aquatics will announce the qualification pathway soon, but it’s sure that the 2027 World Championships will be the first milestone. That edition will return to Europe, as Budapest shall host it, after several editions in Asia.
Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
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