Water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Ten nations competed in water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne
. The event was open only to men's teams.
.
28 November
29 November
30 November
28 November
29 November
30 November
} || 2 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 2 || 12 || 0
|}
28 November
29 November
30 November
The teams that did not advance to the championship played in a consolation tournament.
and the Soviet Union
. As the athletes left for the games, the Hungarian Revolution started and was crushed by the Soviet army. Many of the Hungarian athletes vowed never to return home and felt their only means of fighting back was in the pool.
With only two games left for each team, the Hungarians were leading in the standings, 1 point ahead of Yugoslavia and 2 ahead of the Soviets. A Soviet victory would have put them alongside the Hungarians in the standings, with the final match pairings favoring the Soviets, who would face the last-place Germans while Hungary had to compete with Yugoslavia. A Hungarian victory would ensure at least a silver medal for the team, with a draw or a win against Yugoslavia in the last game meaning gold.
The Hungary-Soviet Union confrontation was extremely bloody and violent, and the pool reputedly turned red from the blood spilt. The Hungarians led the Soviets 4-0 before the game was called off in the final minute to prevent angry Hungarians in the crowd reacting to Valentin Prokopov
punching Ervin Zador
's eye open. The Hungarians went on to win the championship by defeating Yugoslavia 2-1 in the final. Half of the Hungarian Olympic delegation defected after the games.
1 December
3 December
4 December
5 December
6 December
7 December
} || 3 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 8 || 29 || 0
|}
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. The event was open only to men's teams.
Medallists
| Antal Bolvári Antal Bolvári Antal Bolvári is a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics.He was born in Kaposvár.Bolvári was part of the Hungarian team which won the gold medal in the 1952 tournament... Ottó Boros Ottó Boros Ottó Boros was a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics, in the 1960 Summer Olympics, and in the 1964 Summer Olympics.He was born in Békéscsaba and died in Szolnok.... Dezső Gyarmati Dezso Gyarmati Dezső Gyarmati is a former Hungarian water polo player and three times Olympic champion, and also a former coach of the Hungarian national water polo team.-Player career:... István Hevesi István Hevesi István Hevesi is a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He was born in Eger.Hevesi was part of the Hungarian team which won the gold medal in the 1956 tournament... László Jeney László Jeney László Jeney was a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics, 1952 Summer Olympics, 1956 Summer Olympics, and 1960 Summer Olympics.... Tivadar Kanizsa Tivadar Kanizsa Tivadar Kanizsa was a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics, in the 1960 Summer Olympics, and in the 1964 Summer Olympics.He was born in Debrecen and died in Jásztelek.... György Kárpáti György Kárpáti György Kárpáti is a Hungarian former water polo player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics, 1956 Summer Olympics, 1960 Summer Olympics, and 1964 Summer Olympics.He was born in Budapest, and is Jewish.... Kálmán Markovits Kálmán Markovits Kálmán Markovits is a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics, 1956 Summer Olympics, and 1960 Summer Olympics.He was born in Budapest.... Mihály Mayer Mihály Mayer Mihály Mayer was a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics, in the 1960 Summer Olympics, in the 1964 Summer Olympics, and in the 1968 Summer Olympics.... István Szivós István Szivós Szívós István was a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics, in the 1952 Summer Olympics, and in the 1956 Summer Olympics.... Ervin Zádor Ervin Zador Ervin Zádor is a Hungarian retired water polo player and former member of the Hungarian national team.-Career:At the age of 21 Zádor represented Hungary at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He played four matches and scored five goals.The Soviet Union and Hungary fielded competitive water... Miklos Martin Miklós Martin Miklós Martin is a Hungarian water polo player who competed in the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. He was born in Budapest.... |
Ivo Cipci Ivo Cipci Ivo Cipci is a Croat water polo player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1956 Summer Olympics.He was part of the Yugoslav team which won the silver medal in the 1956 tournament. He played all seven matches.... Tomislav Franjković Tomislav Franjkovic Tomislav Franjković was a Croat water polo player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1956 Summer Olympics.He was part of the Yugoslav team which won the silver medal in the 1956 tournament. He played six matches.... Vladimir Ivković Vladimir Ivkovic Vladimir Ivković is a Croat water polo player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics.He was born in Dubrovnik.... Zdravko Ježić Zdravko Ježic Zdravko "Pusko" Ježić was a Croat water polo player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1952 Summer Olympics, in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.... Hrvoje Kačić Hrvoje Kacic dr. Hrvoje Kačić is a former Croatian water polo player as well as an academic and politician.At the age of 18, Kačić played for the Yugoslavia national water polo team at the 1950 European Water Polo Championship at which the team won bronze... Zdravko-Ćiro Kovačić Zdravko-Ciro Kovacic Zdravko-Ćiro Kovačić is a Croat water polo player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1948 Summer Olympics, in the 1952 Summer Olympics, and in the 1956 Summer Olympics.He was born in Šibenik.... Lovro Radonjić Lovro Radonjic Lovro Radonjić is a Croat water polo player and butterfly swimmer who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1952 Summer Olympics, in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.... Marijan Žužej Marijan Žužej Marijan Žužej is a Croat water polo player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1956 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He was born in Maribor.... |
Viktor Ageev Viktor Ageev Viktor Ivanovich Ageev is a Russian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1956 Summer Olympics, in the 1960 Summer Olympics, and in the 1964 Summer Olympics.He was born in Moscow.... Pyotr Breus Pyotr Breus Pyotr Pavlovich Breus , was a Russian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1956 Summer Olympics.... Boris Goykhman Boris Goykhman Boris Abramovich Goykhman was a Russian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1952 Summer Olympics, in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He is Jewish, and was born in Voznesensk, Ukrainian SSR.... Nodar Gvakhariya Nodar Gvakhariya Nodar Gvakharia was a Georgian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1956 Summer Olympics.He was part of the Soviet team which won the bronze medal in the 1956 tournament. He played three matches and scored four goals.-References:... Vyacheslav Kurennoy Vyacheslav Kurennoy Vyacheslav Grigorevich Kurennoy was a Russian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1956 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He was born in Moscow.... Boris Markarov Boris Markarov Boris Nikitich Markarov is a Russian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1956 Summer Olympics.He was part of the Soviet team which won the bronze medal in the 1956 tournament. He played four matches and scored one goal.... P'et're Mshveniyeradze Valentin Prokopov Valentin Prokopov Valentin Ivanovich Prokopov is a Russian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics. He is perhaps best remembered as the man who struck Hungarian player Ervin Zádor in the Blood in the Water match.In 1952 he was part of the... Mikhail Ryzhak Mikhail Ryzhak Mikhail Mikhaylovich Ryzhak was a Russian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1956 Summer Olympics.He was born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR.... Yury Shlyapin Yury Shlyapin Yury Aleksandrovich Shlyapin was a Russian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics.... |
Results
For the team rosters see: Water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's team squadsWater polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's team squads
*CF=Centre Forward*CB=Centre Back*D=Defender*GK=Goalkeeper-Germany entered a squad of eleven players. They scored 16 goals but all scorers are unknown.Head coach::...
.
Preliminary round
The preliminary round consisted of a round-robin tournament held in three groups. Each team played the other teams in its group once.Group A
| Nation | Pld. | Win | Loss | Tie | GF | GA | Points |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 6 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 0 |
28 November
- 14:00 - Romania def. Australia, 4-2
- 19:30 - Yugoslavia def. Soviet Union, 3-2
29 November
- 21:15 - Soviet Union def. Romania, 4-3
- 22:15 - Yugoslavia def. Australia, 9-1
30 November
- 10:30 - Yugoslavia def. Romania, 3-2
- 16:00 - Soviet Union def. Australia, 3-0
Group B
| Nation | Pld. | Win | Loss | Tie | GF | GA | Points |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
28 November
- 20:30 - United States def. Great Britain, 5-3
29 November
- 15:45 - Hungary def. Great Britain, 6-1
30 November
- 11:30 - Hungary def. United States, 6-2
Group C
| Nation | Pld. | Win | Loss | Tie | GF | GA | Points |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 2 | |
|}
28 November
- 15:00 - Germany def. Singapore, 5-1
29 November
- 16:45 - Italy def. Singapore, 7-1
30 November
- 22:10 - Italy def. Germany, 4-2
Final round
The top two teams in each preliminary group advanced to the championship, in which they played each of the four other championship teams they had not previously faced. The results of the preliminary round game against the team from their group carried over into the final round.The teams that did not advance to the championship played in a consolation tournament.
Championship
The most famous water polo match in history is the semi-finals round match between HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. As the athletes left for the games, the Hungarian Revolution started and was crushed by the Soviet army. Many of the Hungarian athletes vowed never to return home and felt their only means of fighting back was in the pool.
With only two games left for each team, the Hungarians were leading in the standings, 1 point ahead of Yugoslavia and 2 ahead of the Soviets. A Soviet victory would have put them alongside the Hungarians in the standings, with the final match pairings favoring the Soviets, who would face the last-place Germans while Hungary had to compete with Yugoslavia. A Hungarian victory would ensure at least a silver medal for the team, with a draw or a win against Yugoslavia in the last game meaning gold.
The Hungary-Soviet Union confrontation was extremely bloody and violent, and the pool reputedly turned red from the blood spilt. The Hungarians led the Soviets 4-0 before the game was called off in the final minute to prevent angry Hungarians in the crowd reacting to Valentin Prokopov
Valentin Prokopov
Valentin Ivanovich Prokopov is a Russian water polo player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics. He is perhaps best remembered as the man who struck Hungarian player Ervin Zádor in the Blood in the Water match.In 1952 he was part of the...
punching Ervin Zador
Ervin Zador
Ervin Zádor is a Hungarian retired water polo player and former member of the Hungarian national team.-Career:At the age of 21 Zádor represented Hungary at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He played four matches and scored five goals.The Soviet Union and Hungary fielded competitive water...
's eye open. The Hungarians went on to win the championship by defeating Yugoslavia 2-1 in the final. Half of the Hungarian Olympic delegation defected after the games.
| Rank | Nation | Pld. | Win | Loss | Tie | GF | GA | Points |
| 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 10 | |
| 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 7 | |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 6 | |
| 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 | 4 | |
| 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 2 | |
| 6 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 20 | 1 |
1 December
- 14:40 - Soviet Union def. Italy, 3-2
- 22:40 - Yugoslavia def. United States, 5-1
3 December
- 16:50 - United States def. Germany, 4-3
- 21:30 - Hungary def. Italy, 4-0
4 December
- 15:40 - Yugoslavia tied Germany, 2-2
- 21:00 - Italy def. United States, 3-2
5 December
- 16:40 - Soviet Union def. United States, 3-1
- 22:20 - Hungary def. Germany, 4-0
6 December
- 15:25 - Hungary def. Soviet Union, 4-0Blood In The Water matchThe "Blood in the Water" match was a water polo match between Hungary and the USSR at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The match, which took place on December 6, 1956, was against the background of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and saw Hungary defeat the USSR 4–0...
- 21:55 - Yugoslavia def. Italy, 2-1
7 December
- 14:00 - Soviet Union def. Germany, 6-4
- 21:20 - Hungary def. Yugoslavia, 2-1
Consolation
| Rank | Nation | Pld. | Win | Loss | Tie | GF | GA | Points |
| 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 9 | 6 | |
| 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 4 | |
| 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 2 | |
| 10 |
|}
- Great Britain def. Singapore, 11-5
- Great Britain def. Australia, 5-2
- Romania def. Singapore, 15-1
- Great Britain def. Romania, 5-2
- Australia def. Singapore, 3-2
- Romania def. Australia, 4-2