Water polo at the 2000 Summer Olympics

The water polo competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia saw Hungary’s return to the gold medal platform and the introduction of the women’s tournament.[1] The Australian women had lobbied the IOC hard for the inclusion of women’s water polo in the Olympics, including showing up at the airport dressed only in their swimsuits during one pre-Olympic visit by members of the IOC.

Water polo
at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad

Tournament details
Host country	Australia
City	Sydney
Venue(s)	Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre, Sydney International Aquatic Centre
Dates	16 September – 1 October 2000
Events	2 (men's, women's)
Teams	12 (men's), 6 (women's) (from 4 confederations)
Competitors	153 men, 78 women
Final positions
Champions	Hungary (men)  Australia (women)
Runners-up	Russia (men)  United States (women)
Third place	Yugoslavia (men)  Russia (women)
Fourth place	Spain (men)  Netherlands (women)
Tournament statistics (men, women)
Matches	68
Multiple appearances	6-time Olympian(s): 1 5-time Olympian(s): 2 4-time Olympian(s): 4

Six nations competed in the women’s tournament with home team Australia winning the gold medal over the United States. Twelve nations competed in the men’s tournament and played a total of 48 matches. Spain was unable to follow up their 1996 gold medal performance with a medal. Hungary defeated Russia for the gold medal. The matches were held at Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre and the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre.[2]