# List of men's Olympic water polo tournament records and statistics

This is a list of records and statistics of the men's Olympic water polo tournament since the inaugural official edition in 1900.

## Abbreviations

| Rk | Rank | Ref | Reference | (C) | Captain |
| Pos | Playing position | FP | Field player | GK | Goalkeeper |
| L/R | Handedness | L | Left-handed | R | Right-handed |
| p. | page | pp. | pages | | |

## General statistics

This is a summary of men's water polo at the Summer Olympics by tournament.
The following table shows winning teams, coaches and captains by tournament. Last updated: 8 August 2021.
Legend
* Team – Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row)
* Team – Winning all matches during the tournament
* Team – Host team
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
Winning teams, coaches and captains by tournament :
| # | Men's tournament | Winning team | Winning coach | Winning captain |
| 1 | Paris 1900 | Great Britain (1st title) | — | Thomas Coe |
| 2 | St. Louis 1904 | Water polo was an unofficial sport | Water polo was an unofficial sport | Water polo was an unofficial sport |
| 3 | London 1908 | Great Britain (2nd title) | — | Charles Smith |
| 4 | Stockholm 1912 | Great Britain (3rd title) | — | George Wilkinson |
| 5 | Antwerp 1920 | Great Britain (4th title) | — | Paul Radmilovic |
| 6 | Paris 1924 | France (1st title) | — | Georges Rigal |
| 7 | Amsterdam 1928 | Germany (1st title) | — | — |
| 8 | Los Angeles 1932 | Hungary (1st title) | — | — |
| 9 | Berlin 1936 | Hungary (2nd title) | — | — |
| 10 | London 1948 | Italy (1st title) | Giuseppe Valle | — |
| 11 | Helsinki 1952 | Hungary (3rd title) | Béla Rajki | — |
| 12 | Melbourne 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | Béla Rajki (2) | Dezső Gyarmati |
| 13 | Rome 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | Andres Zolyomy | — |
| 14 | Tokyo 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | Károly Laky | Dezső Gyarmati (2) |
| 15 | Mexico City 1968 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (1st title) | Aleksandar Sajfert | — |
| 16 | Munich 1972 | Soviet Union$^†$ (1st title) | Vladimir Semyonov | — |
| 17 | Montreal 1976 | Hungary (6th title) | Dezső Gyarmati | — |
| 18 | Moscow 1980 | Soviet Union$^†$ (2nd title) | Boris Popov | — |
| 19 | Los Angeles 1984 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (2nd title) | Ratko Rudić | — |
| 20 | Seoul 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | Ratko Rudić (2) | — |
| 21 | Barcelona 1992 | Italy (3rd title) | Ratko Rudić (3) | — |
| 22 | Atlanta 1996 | Spain (1st title) | Juan Jané | Manuel Estiarte |
| 23 | Sydney 2000 | Hungary (7th title) | Dénes Kemény | — |
| 24 | Athens 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | Dénes Kemény (2) | Tibor Benedek |
| 25 | Beijing 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | Dénes Kemény (3) | Tibor Benedek (2) |
| 26 | London 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | Ratko Rudić (4) | Samir Barać |
| 27 | Rio 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | Dejan Savić | Živko Gocić |
| 28 | Tokyo 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | Dejan Savić | Filip Filipović |
| 29 | Paris 2024 | Serbia (3rd title) | Uroš Stevanović | Nikola Jakšić |
| # | Men's tournament | Winning team | Winning coach | Winning captain |
The following table shows top goalscorers, goalkeepers, sprinters and Most Valuable Players by tournament. Last updated: 8 August 2021.
Notes:
* Top goalscorer: the water polo player who scored the most goals in a tournament.
* Top goalkeeper: the water polo player who saved the most shots in a tournament.
* Top sprinter: the water polo player who won the most sprints in a tournament.
* Most Valuable Player: the water polo player who was named the Most Valuable Player of a tournament.
Legend and abbreviation
* Team – Olympic winning streak
* Team – Winning all matches during the tournament
* Team – Host team
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
* Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Top goalscorers, goalkeepers, sprinters and Most Valuable Players by tournament :
| Year | Winning team | Top goalscorer (Goals) | Top goalkeeper (Saves, Eff %) | Top sprinter (Sprints won) | Most Valuable Player (Goals or Saves, Eff %) |
| 1900 | Great Britain | John Jarvis$^‡$ (6) | — | — | — |
| 1904 | Water polo was an unofficial sport | Water polo was an unofficial sport | Water polo was an unofficial sport | Water polo was an unofficial sport | Water polo was an unofficial sport |
| 1908 | Great Britain | Fernand Feyaerts (8) | — | — | — |
| 1912 | Great Britain | Robert Andersson (9) | — | — | — |
| 1920 | Great Britain | Erik Andersson (10) | — | — | — |
| 1924 | France | Pierre Dewin (14) | — | — | — |
| 1928 | Germany | Ferenc Keserű (10) | — | — | — |
| 1932 | Hungary | Philip Daubenspeck (14) | — | — | — |
| 1936 | Hungary | Hans Schneider (22) | — | — | — |
| 1948 | Italy | Aldo Ghira$^‡$ (18) | — | — | — |
| 1952 | Hungary | István Szívós Sr.$^‡$ (16) Ruud van Feggelen (16) | — | — | — |
| 1956 | Hungary | Petre Mshvenieradze (11) | — | — | — |
| 1960 | Italy | Fred Tisue (12) Aurel Zahan (12) | — | — | — |
| 1964 | Hungary | Nico van der Voet (10) | — | — | — |
| 1968 | Yugoslavia$^†$ | Nico van der Voet (33) | — | — | — |
| 1972 | Soviet Union$^†$ | Carlos Sánchez (18) | — | — | — |
| 1976 | Hungary | Tamás Faragó$^‡$ (22) | — | — | — |
| 1980 | Soviet Union$^†$ | Manuel Estiarte (21) | — | — | — |
| 1984 | Yugoslavia$^†$ | Manuel Estiarte (34) | — | — | — |
| 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ | Manuel Estiarte (27) | — | — | — |
| 1992 | Italy | Tibor Benedek (22) Manuel Estiarte (22) | — | — | — |
| 1996 | Spain | Tibor Benedek (19) | Arie van de Bunt (81, 52.6%) | — | — |
| 2000 | Hungary | Aleksandar Šapić (18) | Dan Hackett (70, 51.9%) | Brad Schumacher (20) | — |
| 2004 | Hungary | Aleksandar Šapić (18) | Nikolay Maksimov (62, 59.6%) | Pietro Figlioli (24) | Gergely Kiss$^‡$ (14 goals) |
| 2008 | Hungary | Alessandro Calcaterra (27) | Stefano Tempesti (83, 49.1%) | Pietro Figlioli (21) | — |
| 2012 | Croatia | Andrija Prlainović (22) | Stefano Tempesti (87, 59.2%) | Pietro Figlioli (19) Rhys Howden (19) | Josip Pavić$^‡$ (85 saves, 70.2%) |
| 2016 | Serbia | Filip Filipović$^‡$ (19) Guillermo Molina (19) | Slobodan Soro (81, 53.3%) | Rhys Howden (18) | Filip Filipović$^‡$ (19 goals) |
| 2020 | Serbia | Aleksandar Ivović (23) | Branislav Mitrović (70, 57.4%) Emmanouil Zerdevas (70, 57.4%) | Johnny Hooper (22) | Filip Filipović$^‡$ (16 goals) |
| 2020 | Serbia | Dušan Mandić$^‡$ (26) | Adrian Weinberg (94, 56%) | Martin Famera (22) | Dušan Mandić$^‡$ (26) |
| Year | Winning team | Top goalscorer (Goals) | Top goalkeeper (Saves, Eff %) | Top sprinter (Sprints won) | Most Valuable Player (Goals or Saves, Eff %) |

## Confederation statistics
### Best performances by tournament

This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation in each tournament. Last updated: 8 August 2021.
Note: italic number in header means unofficial tournament was held.
Legend
* 1st – Champions
* 2nd – Runners-up
* 3rd – Third place
* 4th – Fourth place
* Q – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
| Confederation | 00 | 08 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 |
| Africa – CANA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7th | 10th | — | 9th | 12th | 15th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12th | — | — | — | 12th | — |
| Americas – UANA | — | — | — | 4th | 3rd | 7th | 3rd | 9th | 10th | 4th | 5th | 7th | 9th | 5th | 3rd | 7th | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | 4th | 7th | 6th | 7th | 2nd | 8th | 10th | 6th | 3rd |
| Asia – AASF | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4th | 14th | 12th | 21st | 10th | 14th | 11th | 12th | 15th | 12th | — | 9th | 11th | — | — | 9th | 11th | 12th | 11th | 12th | 10th | 11th |
| Europe – LEN | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| Oceania – OSA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18th | 19th | 9th | 15th | 10th | — | 12th | 11th | 7th | 5th | 8th | 5th | — | 8th | 9th | 8th | 7th | 9th | 9th | 8th |
| Total teams | 7 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 10 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |

### All-time best performances

This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation at the Olympics. Last updated: 8 August 2021.

#### Legend

* Year$^*$ – As host team
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
| Confederation | Best performance | Men's team |
| Africa – CANA | 7th | Egypt (1948) |
| Americas – UANA | 2nd | United States (1984$^*$, 1988, 2008) |
| Asia – AASF | 4th | Japan (1932) |
| Europe – LEN | 1st | Croatia (2012), France (1924$^*$), Germany (1928), Great Britain (1900, 1908$^*$, 1912, 1920), Hungary (1932, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2008), Italy (1948, 1960$^*$, 1992), Serbia (2016, 2020), Soviet Union$^†$ (1972, 1980$^*$), Spain (1996), Yugoslavia$^†$ (1968, 1984, 1988) |
| Oceania – OSA | 5th | Australia (1984, 1992) |

## Team statistics
### Comprehensive team results by tournament

Note: Results of Olympic qualification tournaments are not included. Numbers refer to the final placing of each team at the respective Games; italic number in header means unofficial tournament was held. Last updated: 11 February 2024.
Legend
* 1 – Champions
* 2 – Runners-up
* 3 – Third place
* 4 – Fourth place
* – Qualified but were not allowed to compete
* – Disqualified
* — – The nation did not participate in the Games
* Q – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
* – Hosts
* = – More than one team tied for that rank
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
Abbreviation
* stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
* EUA – United Team of Germany
* FRG – West Germany
* FRY – FR Yugoslavia
* GDR – East Germany
* SCG – Serbia and Montenegro
Africa – CANA (2 teams) :
| Men's team | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | Years |
| Egypt (stats) | — | — | — | | | | | — | | 7 | 10 | — | 13 | 12 | 15 | | | — | | | | | | 12 | | | | | | 6 |
| South Africa | — | | | | | | | | | | 14 | | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | | 12 | WD | 3 |
Americas – UANA (8 teams) :
| Men's team | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | Years |
| Argentina | | — | | — | | | 13 | | | 10 | 16 | | 11 | | | | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| Brazil (stats) | — | — | — | — | 6 | | — | | | | 9 | | 12 | 13 | 13 | | | | 12 | | | | | | | | 8 | | | 8 |
| Canada (stats) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 16 | 9 | — | 10 | | | | | | 11 | | | | | 4 |
| Chile | — | — | — | | | | | — | | 17 | | | | | | | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Cuba | | | — | — | — | | | | | | | | | | 8 | 9 | 7 | 5 | — | — | 8 | | | | | | | | | 5 |
| Mexico | | — | — | — | — | | | | | | 18 | | | | 11 | 13 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| United States (stats) | | | | | 4 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 3 | | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 23 |
| Uruguay | — | — | — | — | — | | | | 13 | 16 | | | | | | | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
Asia – AASF (7 teams) :
| Men's team | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | Years |
| China | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 11 | | | 12 | | | | | 3 |
| India | | — | — | — | | | | | | 12 | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| Iran | | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | | 12 | — | — | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Japan (stats) | — | — | — | | | | | 4 | 14 | — | | | 14 | 11 | 12 | 15 | | — | 11 | | | | | | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| Kazakhstan (stats) | — | — | — | — | — | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | 9 | 11 | | 11 | | 11 | | 4 |
| Singapore | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | 10 | | — | | | | — | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| South Korea | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | | | — | | 12 | | | | | | | | 1 |
Europe – LEN (34 teams) :
| Men's team | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | Years |
| Austria | | | | 4 | — | | | | 7 | | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 |
| Belgium (stats) | 2 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | | 3 | 4 | 6 | | 16 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11 |
| Bulgaria | — | — | — | — | — | | | — | | — | | | | | | 11 | | 12 | — | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| Croatia (stats) | — | — | — | — | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | | 2 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
| Czechoslovakia$^†$ | — | — | — | — | 12 | 6 | 10 | | 11 | | | | | | | | | | — | | 12 | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | | 5 |
| East Germany$^†$ | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | P. of EUA | P. of EUA | P. of EUA | 6 | | | | — | | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | | 1 |
| France (stats) | 3 | — | | 6 | 9 | 1 | 3 | | 4 | 6 | | | 10 | | | | | | | 10 | 11 | | | | | | 11 | | 10 | 12 |
| Germany (stats) | =5 | | | | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 15 | See EUA | See EUA | See EUA | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | 7 | 9 | | 5 | 10 | | | | | 9 |
| Great Britain (stats) | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | | 8 | 13 | 12 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | | | | 11 |
| Greece (stats) | | | | | 8 | 13 | | | | 15 | | | | | 14 | 14 | | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 17 |
| Hungary (stats) | | | | 5 | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 24 |
| Iceland | — | — | — | | — | — | — | — | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Ireland | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 14 | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| Italy (stats) | | — | | | 10 | 11 | | | | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 22 |
| Luxembourg | — | — | — | | | | 11 | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Malta | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | 16 | | — | — | | — | | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| Montenegro (stats) | — | — | — | — | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | P. of FRY / SCG | P. of FRY / SCG | P. of FRY / SCG | P. of FRY / SCG | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 5 |
| Netherlands (stats) | | — | 4 | | 5 | 7 | 5 | | 5 | 3 | 5 | | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 6 | | 9 | 10 | 11 | | | | | | | 17 |
| Portugal | — | — | — | | | | | | | | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Romania (stats) | | — | — | — | — | | | — | | — | 17 | 8 | 5 | 5 | | 8 | 4 | 9 | | | | 11 | | | | 10 | | | 12 | 10 |
| Russia (stats) | — | — | — | — | — | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | | 5 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | 3 |
| Serbia (stats) | — | — | — | | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | P. of FRY / SCG | P. of FRY / SCG | P. of FRY / SCG | P. of FRY / SCG | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (stats) | — | — | — | — | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | See FRY | See FRY | See FRY | 2 | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | 1 |
| Slovakia | — | — | — | — | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | | 12 | | | | | | | 1 |
| Soviet Union$^†$ (stats) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | 3 | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | 9 |
| Spain (stats) | | — | — | — | 7 | 10 | 9 | | — | 8 | 8 | — | | | 9 | 10 | | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| Sweden (stats) | | — | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | | | 6 | 5 | 11 | | | | | | | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Switzerland | | | | | 11 | 12 | 12 | | 12 | 14 | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 |
| Ukraine | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | | 12 | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Unified Team$^†$ (stats) | — | — | — | — | — | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | Part of Soviet Union | 3 | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | 1 |
| United Team of Germany$^†$ (stats) | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | 6 | 6 | 6 | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | See FRG and GDR | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | See Germany | 3 |
| West Germany$^†$ (stats) | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | P. of EUA | P. of EUA | P. of EUA | 10 | 4 | 6 | — | 3 | 4 | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | Part of Germany | 5 |
| Yugoslavia$^†$ (stats) | — | — | — | — | | | | | 10 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | 12 |
| Yugoslavia$^†$ (stats) | — | — | — | — | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | Part of Yugoslavia | — | 8 | 3 | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | Defunct | 2 |
Oceania – OSA (1 team) :
| Men's team | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | Years |
| Australia (stats) | | | — | — | | | | | | 18 | 19 | 9 | 15 | 10 | | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 5 | | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 18 |
| Men's team | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | Years |
| Total teams | 7 | | 4 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 10 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |

### Number of appearances by team

The following table is pre-sorted by number of appearances (in descending order), year of the last appearance (in ascending order), year of the first appearance (in ascending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 8 August 2021.
Legend and abbreviation
* Year$^*$ – As host team
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
* Apps – Appearances
* stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
Number of appearances by team :
| Rk | Men's team | Apps | Record streak | Active streak | Debut | Most recent | Best finish | Confederation |
| 1 | Hungary (stats) | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1912 | 2020 | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 2 | United States (stats) | 22 | 12 | 10 | 1920 | 2020 | Runners-up | Americas – UANA |
| 3 | Italy (stats) | 21 | 19 | 19 | 1920 | 2020 | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 4 | Spain (stats) | 18 | 11 | 11 | 1920 | 2020 | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 5 | Netherlands (stats) | 17 | 7 | 0 | 1908 | 2000 | Third place | Europe – LEN |
| 5 | Australia (stats) | 17 | 6 | 6 | 1948 | 2020 | Fifth place | Oceania – OSA |
| 7 | Greece (stats) | 16 | 11 | 11 | 1920 | 2020 | Runners-up | Europe – LEN |
| 8 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (stats) | 12 | 12 | 0 | 1936 | 1988 | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 9 | Belgium (stats) | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1900 | 1964 | Runners-up | Europe – LEN |
| 9 | Great Britain (stats) | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1900 | 2012$^*$ | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 9 | France (stats) | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1900$^*$ | 2016 | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 12 | Soviet Union$^†$ (stats) | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1952 | 1988 | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 12 | Germany (stats) | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1900 | 2008 | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 12 | Romania (stats) | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1952 | 2012 | Fourth place | Europe – LEN |
| 12 | Japan (stats) | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1932 | 2020$^*$ | Fourth place | Asia – AASF |
| 16 | Sweden (stats) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1908 | 1980 | Runners-up | Europe – LEN |
| 16 | Brazil (stats) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1920 | 2016$^*$ | Sixth place | Americas – UANA |
| 18 | Croatia (stats) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 1996 | 2020 | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 19 | Egypt (stats) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1948 | 2004 | Seventh place | Africa – CANA |
| 20 | Switzerland | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1920 | 1948 | Eleventh place | Europe – LEN |
| 20 | West Germany$^†$ (stats) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1968 | 1988 | Third place | Europe – LEN |
| 20 | Czechoslovakia$^†$ | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1920 | 1992 | Sixth place | Europe – LEN |
| 20 | Cuba | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1968 | 1992 | Fifth place | Americas – UANA |
| 24 | Argentina | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1928 | 1960 | Tenth place | Americas – UANA |
| 24 | Mexico | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1952 | 1976 | Tenth place | Americas – UANA |
| 24 | Canada (stats) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1972 | 2008 | Ninth place | Americas – UANA |
| 24 | Kazakhstan (stats) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2000 | 2020 | Ninth place | Asia – AASF |
| 24 | Montenegro (stats) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2008 | 2020 | Fourth place | Europe – LEN |
| 24 | Serbia (stats) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2008 | 2020 | Champions | Europe – LEN |
| 30 | Austria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1912 | 1952 | Fourth place | Europe – LEN |
| 30 | United Team of Germany$^†$ (stats) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1956 | 1964 | Sixth place | Europe – LEN |
| 30 | Russia (stats) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1996 | 2004 | Runners-up | Europe – LEN |
| 30 | China | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1984 | 2008$^*$ | Ninth place | Asia – AASF |
| 30 | South Africa | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1952 | 2020 | Ninth place | Africa – CANA |
| 35 | Ireland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1924 | 1928 | Ninth place | Europe – LEN |
| 35 | Malta | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1928 | 1936 | Eighth place | Europe – LEN |
| 35 | Uruguay | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1936 | 1948 | Thirteenth place | Americas – UANA |
| 35 | India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1948 | 1952 | Twelfth place | Asia – AASF |
| 35 | Bulgaria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1972 | 1980 | Eleventh place | Europe – LEN |
| 35 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (stats) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1996 | 2000 | Third place | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Luxembourg | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1928 | 1928 | Eleventh place | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Iceland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1936 | 1936 | Fifteenth place | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Chile | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1948 | 1948 | Seventeenth place | Americas – UANA |
| 41 | Portugal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1952 | 1952 | Twentieth place | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Singapore | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1956 | 1956 | Tenth place | Asia – AASF |
| 41 | East Germany$^†$ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1968 | 1968 | Sixth place | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Iran | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1976 | 1976 | Twelfth place | Asia – AASF |
| 41 | South Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1988$^*$ | 1988$^*$ | Twelfth place | Asia – AASF |
| 41 | Unified Team$^†$ (stats) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1992 | 1992 | Third place | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1996 | 1996 | Twelfth place | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Slovakia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2000 | 2000 | Twelfth place | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (stats) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2004 | 2004 | Runners-up | Europe – LEN |
| Rk | Men's team | Apps | Record streak | Active streak | Debut | Most recent | Best finish | Confederation |

### Best finishes by team

The following table is pre-sorted by best finish (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 8 August 2021.
Legend and abbreviation
* Year$^*$ – As host team
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
* Apps – Appearances
* stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
Best finishes by team :
| Rk | Men's team | Best finish | Apps | Confederation |
| 1 | Hungary (stats) | Champions (1932, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2008) | 23 | Europe – LEN |
| 2 | Great Britain (stats) | Champions (1900, 1908$^*$, 1912, 1920) | 11 | Europe – LEN |
| 3 | Italy (stats) | Champions (1948, 1960$^*$, 1992) | 21 | Europe – LEN |
| 3 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (stats) | Champions (1968, 1984, 1988) | 12 | Europe – LEN |
| 5 | Serbia (stats) | Champions (2016, 2020) | 4 | Europe – LEN |
| 5 | Soviet Union$^†$ (stats) | Champions (1972, 1980$^*$) | 9 | Europe – LEN |
| 7 | Croatia (stats) | Champions (2012) | 7 | Europe – LEN |
| 7 | France (stats) | Champions (1924$^*$) | 11 | Europe – LEN |
| 7 | Germany (stats) | Champions (1928) | 9 | Europe – LEN |
| 7 | Spain (stats) | Champions (1996) | 18 | Europe – LEN |
| 11 | Belgium (stats) | Runners-up (1900, 1908, 1920$^*$, 1924) | 11 | Europe – LEN |
| 12 | United States (stats) | Runners-up (1984$^*$, 1988, 2008) | 22 | Americas – UANA |
| 13 | Greece (stats) | Runners-up (2020) | 16 | Europe – LEN |
| 13 | Russia (stats) | Runners-up (2000) | 3 | Europe – LEN |
| 13 | Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (stats) | Runners-up (2004) | 1 | Europe – LEN |
| 13 | Sweden (stats) | Runners-up (1912$^*$) | 8 | Europe – LEN |
| 17 | Netherlands (stats) | Third place (1948, 1976) | 17 | Europe – LEN |
| 18 | Unified Team$^†$ (stats) | Third place (1992) | 1 | Europe – LEN |
| 18 | West Germany$^†$ (stats) | Third place (1984) | 5 | Europe – LEN |
| 18 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (stats) | Third place (2000) | 2 | Europe – LEN |
| 21 | Montenegro (stats) | Fourth place (2008, 2012, 2016) | 4 | Europe – LEN |
| 22 | Austria | Fourth place (1912) | 3 | Europe – LEN |
| 22 | Japan (stats) | Fourth place (1932) | 9 | Asia – AASF |
| 22 | Romania (stats) | Fourth place (1976) | 9 | Europe – LEN |
| 25 | Australia (stats) | Fifth place (1984, 1992) | 17 | Oceania – OSA |
| 26 | Cuba | Fifth place (1980) | 5 | Americas – UANA |
| 27 | United Team of Germany$^†$ (stats) | Sixth place (1956, 1960, 1964) | 3 | Europe – LEN |
| 28 | Brazil (stats) | Sixth place (1920) | 8 | Americas – UANA |
| 28 | Czechoslovakia$^†$ | Sixth place (1924) | 5 | Europe – LEN |
| 28 | East Germany$^†$ | Sixth place (1968) | 1 | Europe – LEN |
| 31 | Egypt (stats) | Seventh place (1948) | 6 | Africa – CANA |
| 32 | Malta | Eighth place (1928) | 2 | Europe – LEN |
| 33 | Canada (stats) | Ninth place (1976$^*$) | 4 | Americas – UANA |
| 33 | China | Ninth place (1984) | 3 | Asia – AASF |
| 33 | Ireland | Ninth place (1924) | 2 | Europe – LEN |
| 33 | Kazakhstan (stats) | Ninth place (2000) | 4 | Asia – AASF |
| 33 | South Africa | Ninth place (1960) | 3 | Africa – CANA |
| 38 | Argentina | Tenth place (1948) | 4 | Americas – UANA |
| 38 | Mexico | Tenth place (1976) | 4 | Americas – UANA |
| 38 | Singapore | Tenth place (1956) | 1 | Asia – AASF |
| 41 | Bulgaria | Eleventh place (1972) | 2 | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Luxembourg | Eleventh place (1928) | 1 | Europe – LEN |
| 41 | Switzerland | Eleventh place (1920) | 5 | Europe – LEN |
| 44 | India | Twelfth place (1948) | 2 | Asia – AASF |
| 44 | Iran | Twelfth place (1976) | 1 | Asia – AASF |
| 44 | Slovakia | Twelfth place (2000) | 1 | Europe – LEN |
| 44 | South Korea | Twelfth place (1988$^*$) | 1 | Asia – AASF |
| 44 | Ukraine | Twelfth place (1996) | 1 | Europe – LEN |
| 49 | Uruguay | Thirteenth place (1936) | 2 | Americas – UANA |
| 50 | Iceland | Fifteenth place (1936) | 1 | Europe – LEN |
| 51 | Chile | Seventeenth place (1948) | 1 | Americas – UANA |
| 52 | Portugal | Twentieth place (1952) | 1 | Europe – LEN |
| Rk | Men's team | Best finish | Apps | Confederation |

### Finishes in the top four

The following table is pre-sorted by total finishes in the top four (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 8 August 2021.
Legend
* Year$^*$ – As host team
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
| Rk | Men's team | Total | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | First | Last |
| 1 | Hungary | 17 | 9 (1932, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2008) | 3 (1928, 1948, 1972) | 4 (1960, 1968, 1980, 2020) | 2 (1996, 2024) | 1928 | 2024 |
| 2 | Italy | 11 | 3 (1948, 1960$^*$, 1992) | 2 (1976, 2012) | 3 (1952, 1996, 2016) | 3 (1956, 1964, 1968) | 1948 | 2016 |
| 3 | United States | 10 | | 3 (1984$^*$, 1988, 2008) | 4 (1924, 1932$^*$, 1972, 2024) | 3 (1920, 1952, 1992) | 1920 | 2024 |
| 4 | Yugoslavia$^†$ | 8 | 3 (1968, 1984, 1988) | 4 (1952, 1956, 1964, 1980) | | 1 (1960) | 1952 | 1988 |
| 5 | Soviet Union$^†$ | 7 | 2 (1972, 1980$^*$) | 2 (1960, 1968) | 3 (1956, 1964, 1988) | | 1956 | 1988 |
| 6 | Belgium | 7 | | 4 (1900, 1908, 1920$^*$, 1924) | 2 (1912, 1936) | 1 (1948) | 1900 | 1948 |
| 7 | Spain | 6 | 1 (1996) | 1 (1992$^*$) | | 4 (1980, 1984, 2000, 2020) | 1980 | 2020 |
| 8 | Great Britain | 5 | 4 (1900, 1908$^*$, 1912, 1920) | | | 1 (1928) | 1900 | 1928 |
| 9 | France | 5 | 1 (1924$^*$) | | 3 (1900$^*$×2, 1928) | 1 (1936) | 1900 | 1936 |
| 10 | Serbia | 5 | 3 (2016, 2020, 2024) | | 2 (2008, 2012) | | 2008 | 2024 |
| 11 | Croatia | 4 | 1 (2012) | 3 (1996, 2016, 2024) | | | 1996 | 2024 |
| 12 | Sweden | 4 | | 1 (1912$^*$) | 2 (1908, 1920) | 1 (1924) | 1908 | 1924 |
| 13 | Germany | 3 | 1 (1928) | 2 (1932, 1936$^*$) | | | 1928 | 1936 |
| 14 | Netherlands | 3 | | | 2 (1948, 1976) | 1 (1908) | 1908 | 1976 |
| 15 | West Germany$^†$ | 3 | | | 1 (1984) | 2 (1972$^*$, 1988) | 1972 | 1988 |
| 16 | Montenegro | 3 | | | | 3 (2008, 2012, 2016) | 2008 | 2016 |
| 17 | Russia | 2 | | 1 (2000) | 1 (2004) | | 2000 | 2004 |
| 18 | Greece | 2 | | 1 (2020) | | 1 (2004$^*$) | 2004 | 2020 |
| 19 | Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ | 1 | | 1 (2004) | | | 2004 | 2004 |
| 20 | Yugoslavia$^†$ | 1 | | | 1 (2000) | | 2000 | 2000 |
| 20 | Unified Team$^†$ | 1 | | | 1 (1992) | | 1992 | 1992 |
| 22 | Austria | 1 | | | | 1 (1912) | 1912 | 1912 |
| 22 | Japan | 1 | | | | 1 (1932) | 1932 | 1932 |
| 22 | Romania | 1 | | | | 1 (1976) | 1976 | 1976 |
| Rk | Men's team | Total | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | First | Last |

### Medal table

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 11 August 2024.
Hungary is the most successful country in the men's Olympic water polo tournament, with nine gold, three silver and four bronze.

#### Legend

* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
| Rank | Men's team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Hungary (HUN) | 9 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| 2 | Yugoslavia (YUG)$^†$ | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 3 | Italy (ITA) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | Serbia (SRB) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Great Britain (GBR) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Soviet Union (URS)$^†$ | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 | United States (USA) | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 8 | Croatia (CRO) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Spain (ESP) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | France (FRA) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Mixed team (ZZX)$^†$ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 14 | Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 15 | Russia (RUS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 | Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)$^†$ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 17 | Greece (GRE) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 19 | Unified Team (EUN)$^†$ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | West Germany (FRG)$^†$ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (20 entries) | Totals (20 entries) | 29 | 29 | 30 | 88 |

### Champions (results)

The following table shows results of Olympic champions in men's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 8 August 2021.
Legend
* 6 – Winning 6 matches during the tournament
* 4 – Drawing 4 matches during the tournament
* 2 – Losing 2 matches during the tournament
* 100.0% – Winning all matches during the tournament
* Team – Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row)
* Team – Host team
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
Abbreviation
* MP – Matches played
* W – Won
* D – Drawn
* L – Lost
* GF – Goals for
* GA – Goals against
* GD – Goal difference
* GF/MP – Goals for per match
* GA/MP – Goals against per match
* GD/MP – Goal difference per match
Results of champions by tournament :
| # | Men's tournament | Champions | MP | W | D | L | Win % | GF | GA | GD | GF/MP | GA/MP | GD/MP |
| 1 | Paris 1900 | Great Britain (1st title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 29 | 3 | 26 | 9.667 | 1.000 | 8.667 |
| 2 | St. Louis 1904 | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport |
| 3 | London 1908 | Great Britain (2nd title) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 9 | 2 | 7 | 9.000 | 2.000 | 7.000 |
| 4 | Stockholm 1912 | Great Britain (3rd title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 21 | 8 | 13 | 7.000 | 2.667 | 4.333 |
| 5 | Antwerp 1920 | Great Britain (4th title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 19 | 4 | 15 | 6.333 | 1.333 | 5.000 |
| 6 | Paris 1924 | France (1st title) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 16 | 6 | 10 | 4.000 | 1.500 | 2.500 |
| 7 | Amsterdam 1928 | Germany (1st title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 18 | 10 | 8 | 6.000 | 3.333 | 2.667 |
| 8 | Los Angeles 1932 | Hungary (1st title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 30 | 2 | 28 | 10.000 | 0.667 | 9.333 |
| 9 | Berlin 1936 | Hungary (2nd title) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 44 | 4 | 40 | 6.286 | 0.571 | 5.714 |
| 10 | London 1948 | Italy (1st title) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 35 | 14 | 21 | 5.000 | 2.000 | 3.000 |
| 11 | Helsinki 1952 | Hungary (3rd title) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75.0% | 53 | 16 | 37 | 6.625 | 2.000 | 4.625 |
| 12 | Melbourne 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 26 | 4 | 22 | 4.333 | 0.667 | 3.667 |
| 13 | Rome 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 31 | 12 | 19 | 4.429 | 1.714 | 2.714 |
| 14 | Tokyo 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83.3% | 34 | 13 | 21 | 5.667 | 2.167 | 3.500 |
| 15 | Mexico City 1968 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (1st title) | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 77.8% | 86 | 35 | 51 | 9.556 | 3.889 | 5.667 |
| 16 | Munich 1972 | Soviet Union$^†$ (1st title) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75.0% | 48 | 24 | 24 | 6.000 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| 17 | Montreal 1976 | Hungary (6th title) | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 87.5% | 45 | 32 | 13 | 5.625 | 4.000 | 1.625 |
| 18 | Moscow 1980 | Soviet Union$^†$ (2nd title) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 58 | 31 | 27 | 7.250 | 3.875 | 3.375 |
| 19 | Los Angeles 1984 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (2nd title) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 72 | 44 | 28 | 10.286 | 6.286 | 4.000 |
| 20 | Seoul 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 85.7% | 83 | 55 | 28 | 11.857 | 7.857 | 4.000 |
| 21 | Barcelona 1992 | Italy (3rd title) | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 71.4% | 59 | 50 | 9 | 8.429 | 7.143 | 1.286 |
| 22 | Atlanta 1996 | Spain (1st title) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75.0% | 58 | 48 | 10 | 7.250 | 6.000 | 1.250 |
| 23 | Sydney 2000 | Hungary (7th title) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75.0% | 78 | 57 | 21 | 9.750 | 7.125 | 2.625 |
| 24 | Athens 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 59 | 39 | 20 | 8.429 | 5.571 | 2.857 |
| 25 | Beijing 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.7% | 85 | 55 | 30 | 12.143 | 7.857 | 4.286 |
| 26 | London 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 73 | 42 | 31 | 9.125 | 5.250 | 3.875 |
| 27 | Rio 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 62.5% | 80 | 66 | 14 | 10.000 | 8.250 | 1.750 |
| 28 | Tokyo 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75.0% | 103 | 71 | 32 | 12.875 | 8.875 | 4.000 |
| 29 | Paris 2024 | Serbia (3rd title) | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 62.5% | 93 | 91 | 2 | 11.625 | 11.375 | 0.250 |
| # | Men's tournament | Total | 177 | 148 | 16 | 12 | 84.2% | 1445 | 838 | 607 | 7.638 | 4.734 | 3.429 |
| # | Men's tournament | Champions | MP | W | D | L | Win % | GF | GA | GD | GF/MP | GA/MP | GD/MP |
Sources:
* Official Reports (PDF): 1900–1996 (men's tournaments);
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 45–92), 2004 (p. 207), 2008 (p. 202), 2012 (p. 471), 2016 (p. 131), 2020 (p. 150);
* Olympedia: 1900–2020 (men's tournaments);
* Sports Reference: 1900–2016 (men's tournaments).
From 1900 to 1928, single-elimination tournaments were used to determine Olympic champions in men's water polo. The following table shows men's teams that won all matches during the Olympic tournament since 1932.
Winning all matches during the tournament (since 1932) :
| # | Year | Champions | MP | W | D | L | Win % |
| 1 | 1932 | Hungary (1st title) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| 2 | 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| 3 | 1980 | Soviet Union$^†$ (2nd title) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| 4 | 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
| 5 | 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
The following tables show records of goals for per match.
Top 5 most goals for per match :
| Rk | Year | Champions | MP | GF | GF/MP |
| 1 | 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 8 | 103 | 12.875 |
| 2 | 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 7 | 85 | 12.143 |
| 3 | 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | 7 | 83 | 11.857 |
| 4 | 2024 | Serbia (3rd title) | 8 | 93 | 11.675 |
| 5 | 1984 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (2nd title) | 7 | 72 | 10.286 |
Top 5 fewest goals for per match :
| Rk | Year | Champions | MP | GF | GF/MP |
| 1 | 1924 | France (1st title) | 4 | 16 | 4.000 |
| 2 | 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 6 | 26 | 4.333 |
| 3 | 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 7 | 31 | 4.429 |
| 4 | 1948 | Italy (1st title) | 7 | 35 | 5.000 |
| 5 | 1976 | Hungary (6th title) | 8 | 45 | 5.625 |
Historical progression of records: Goals for per match :
| Goals for per match | Achievement | Year | Champions | Date of winning gold | Duration of record |
| 9.667 | Set record | 1900 | Great Britain (1st title) | 12 August 1900 | 32 years, 1 day |
| 10.000 | Broke record | 1932 | Hungary (1st title) | 13 August 1932 | 51 years, 363 days |
| 10.286 | Broke record | 1984 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (2nd title) | 10 August 1984 | 4 years, 52 days |
| 11.857 | Broke record | 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | 1 October 1988 | 19 years, 328 days |
| 12.143 | Broke record | 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 24 August 2008 | 12 years, 349 days |
| 12.875 | Broke record | 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 8 August 2021 | 3 years, 136 days |
The following tables show records of goals against per match.
Top 5 most goals against per match :
| Rk | Year | Champions | MP | GA | GA/MP |
| 1 | 2024 | Serbia (3rd title) | 8 | 91 | 11.375 |
| 2 | 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 8 | 71 | 8.875 |
| 3 | 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | 8 | 66 | 8.250 |
| 4 | 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | 7 | 55 | 7.857 |
| 4 | 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 7 | 55 | 7.857 |
Top 5 fewest goals against per match :
| Rk | Year | Champions | MP | GA | GA/MP |
| 1 | 1936 | Hungary (2nd title) | 7 | 4 | 0.571 |
| 2 | 1932 | Hungary (1st title) | 3 | 2 | 0.667 |
| 2 | 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 6 | 4 | 0.667 |
| 4 | 1900 | Great Britain (1st title) | 3 | 3 | 1.000 |
| 5 | 1920 | Great Britain (4th title) | 3 | 4 | 1.333 |
The following tables show records of goal difference per match.
Top 5 most goal difference per match :
| Rk | Year | Champions | MP | GD | GD/MP |
| 1 | 1932 | Hungary (1st title) | 3 | 28 | 9.333 |
| 2 | 1900 | Great Britain (1st title) | 3 | 26 | 8.667 |
| 3 | 1908 | Great Britain (2nd title) | 1 | 7 | 7.000 |
| 4 | 1936 | Hungary (2nd title) | 7 | 40 | 5.714 |
| 5 | 1968 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (1st title) | 9 | 51 | 5.667 |
Top 5 fewest goal difference per match :
| Rk | Year | Champions | MP | GD | GD/MP |
| 1 | 2024 | Serbia (3rd title) | 8 | 2 | 0.250 |
| 2 | 1996 | Spain (1st title) | 8 | 10 | 1.250 |
| 3 | 1992 | Italy (3rd title) | 7 | 9 | 1.286 |
| 4 | 1976 | Hungary (6th title) | 8 | 13 | 1.625 |
| 5 | 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | 8 | 14 | 1.750 |

### Champions (squads)

The following table shows number of players and average age, height and weight of Olympic champions in men's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 30 August 2021.
Legend
* Team – Olympic winning streak
* Team – Winning all matches during the tournament
* Team – Host team
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team
Winning squads by tournament :
| # | Men's tournament | Champions | Players | Returning Olympians | Returning Olympians | Average | Average | Average |
| # | Men's tournament | Champions | Number | Number | % | Age | Height | Weight |
| 1 | Paris 1900 | Great Britain (1st title) | 7 | 0 | 0.0% | | | |
| 2 | St. Louis 1904 | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport | Water polo was a demonstration sport |
| 3 | London 1908 | Great Britain (2nd title) | 7 | 0 | 0.0% | 26 years, 111 days | | |
| 4 | Stockholm 1912 | Great Britain (3rd title) | 7 | 4 | 57.1% | 29 years, 16 days | | |
| 5 | Antwerp 1920 | Great Britain (4th title) | 7 | 3 | 42.9% | 33 years, 279 days | | |
| 6 | Paris 1924 | France (1st title) | 7 | 3 | 42.9% | 26 years, 303 days | | |
| 7 | Amsterdam 1928 | Germany (1st title) | 8 | 0 | 0.0% | 24 years, 329 days | | |
| 8 | Los Angeles 1932 | Hungary (1st title) | 10 | 7 | 70.0% | 27 years, 291 days | | |
| 9 | Berlin 1936 | Hungary (2nd title) | 11 | 5 | 45.5% | 26 years, 66 days | | |
| 10 | London 1948 | Italy (1st title) | 9 | 0 | 0.0% | 30 years, 203 days | | |
| 11 | Helsinki 1952 | Hungary (3rd title) | 13 | 6 | 46.2% | 26 years, 337 days | | |
| 12 | Melbourne 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 12 | 7 | 58.3% | 26 years, 148 days | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 80 kg (176 lb) |
| 13 | Rome 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 12 | 3 | 25.0% | 22 years, 363 days | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) |
| 14 | Tokyo 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | 12 | 10 | 83.3% | 28 years, 208 days | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) |
| 15 | Mexico City 1968 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (1st title) | 11 | 5 | 45.5% | 26 years, 151 days | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 94 kg (207 lb) |
| 16 | Munich 1972 | Soviet Union$^†$ (1st title) | 11 | 5 | 45.5% | 26 years, 351 days | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) |
| 17 | Montreal 1976 | Hungary (6th title) | 11 | 6 | 54.5% | 25 years, 333 days | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) |
| 18 | Moscow 1980 | Soviet Union$^†$ (2nd title) | 11 | 4 | 36.4% | 25 years, 117 days | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) |
| 19 | Los Angeles 1984 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (2nd title) | 13 | 3 | 23.1% | 23 years, 362 days | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 92 kg (203 lb) |
| 20 | Seoul 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | 13 | 6 | 46.2% | 23 years, 341 days | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 94 kg (207 lb) |
| 21 | Barcelona 1992 | Italy (3rd title) | 13 | 7 | 53.8% | 26 years, 224 days | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) |
| 22 | Atlanta 1996 | Spain (1st title) | 13 | 9 | 69.2% | 26 years, 279 days | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) |
| 23 | Sydney 2000 | Hungary (7th title) | 13 | 5 | 38.5% | 25 years, 254 days | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 93 kg (205 lb) |
| 24 | Athens 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 13 | 10 | 76.9% | 27 years, 344 days | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 96 kg (212 lb) |
| 25 | Beijing 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 13 | 9 | 69.2% | 29 years, 248 days | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
| 26 | London 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 13 | 8 | 61.5% | 29 years, 85 days | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | 102 kg (225 lb) |
| 27 | Rio 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | 13 | 9 | 69.2% | 28 years, 205 days | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 96 kg (212 lb) |
| 28 | Tokyo 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 13 | 10 | 76.9% | 31 years, 250 days | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| # | Men's tournament | Champions | Number | Number | % | Age | Height | Weight |
| # | Men's tournament | Champions | Players | Returning Olympians | Returning Olympians | Average | Average | Average |
Sources:
* Official Reports (PDF): 1900–1996 (men's tournaments);
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 45–92), 2004 (p. 208), 2008 (p. 203), 2012 (p. 472), 2016 (p. 132), 2020 (p. 151);
* Olympedia: 1900–2020 (men's tournaments);
* Sports Reference: 1900–2016 (men's tournaments).
The following tables show records of the number of returning Olympians.
Records – number of returning Olympians (in descending order) :
| Rk | Year | Champions | Players | Returning Olympians | Returning Olympians |
| Rk | Year | Champions | Number | Number | % |
| 1 | 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | 12 | 10 | 83.3% |
| 2 | 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 13 | 10 | 76.9% |
| 2 | 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 13 | 10 | 76.9% |
| 4 | 1932 | Hungary (1st title) | 10 | 7 | 70.0% |
| 5 | 1996 | Spain (1st title) | 13 | 9 | 69.2% |
| 5 | 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 13 | 9 | 69.2% |
| 5 | 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | 13 | 9 | 69.2% |
Records – number of returning Olympians (in ascending order) :
| Rk | Year | Champions | Players | Returning Olympians | Returning Olympians |
| Rk | Year | Champions | Number | Number | % |
| 1 | 1948 | Italy (1st title) | 9 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 2 | 1928 | Germany (1st title) | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 3 | 1900 | Great Britain (1st title) | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 3 | 1908 | Great Britain (2nd title) | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 5 | 1984 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (2nd title) | 13 | 3 | 23.1% |
The following tables show records of average age.
Top 5 oldest winning squads :
| Rk | Year | Champions | Average age | Note |
| 1 | 1920 | Great Britain (4th title) | 33 years, 279 days | The Games after World War I |
| 2 | 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 31 years, 250 days | The Games postponed to 2021 |
| 3 | 1948 | Italy (1st title) | 30 years, 203 days | The Games after World War II |
| 4 | 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 29 years, 248 days | |
| 5 | 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 29 years, 85 days | |
Top 5 youngest winning squads :
| Rk | Year | Champions | Average age |
| 1 | 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 22 years, 363 days |
| 2 | 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | 23 years, 341 days |
| 3 | 1984 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (2nd title) | 23 years, 362 days |
| 4 | 1928 | Germany (1st title) | 24 years, 329 days |
| 5 | 1980 | Soviet Union$^†$ (2nd title) | 25 years, 117 days |
The following tables show records of average height.
Top 5 tallest winning squads (statistics since 1956) :
| Rk | Year | Champions | Average height |
| 1 | 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) |
| 2 | 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| 2 | 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| 4 | 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| 4 | 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) |
Top 5 shortest winning squads (statistics since 1956) :
| Rk | Year | Champions | Average height |
| 1 | 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| 2 | 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| 2 | 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| 4 | 1972 | Soviet Union$^†$ (1st title) | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| 4 | 1980 | Soviet Union$^†$ (2nd title) | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) |
Historical progression of records: Average height (statistics since 1956) :
| Average height | Achievement | Year | Champions | Date of winning gold | Duration of record |
| 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | Set record | 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 7 December 1956 | 3 years, 271 days |
| 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | Broke record | 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 3 September 1960 | 8 years, 53 days |
| 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | Tied record | 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | 18 October 1964 | 8 years, 53 days |
| 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Broke record | 1968 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (1st title) | 26 October 1968 | 15 years, 289 days |
| 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | Broke record | 1984 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (2nd title) | 10 August 1984 | 4 years, 52 days |
| 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Broke record | 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | 1 October 1988 | 15 years, 333 days |
| 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Broke record | 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 29 August 2004 | 7 years, 349 days |
| 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Tied record | 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 24 August 2008 | 7 years, 349 days |
| 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | Broke record | 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 12 August 2012 | 12 years, 132 days |
The following tables show records of average weight.
Top 5 heaviest winning squads (statistics since 1956) :
| Rk | Year | Champions | Average weight |
| 1 | 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 102 kg (225 lb) |
| 2 | 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
| 3 | 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 96 kg (212 lb) |
| 3 | 2016 | Serbia (1st title) | 96 kg (212 lb) |
| 5 | 2020 | Serbia (2nd title) | 95 kg (209 lb) |
Top 5 lightest winning squads (statistics since 1956) :
| Rk | Year | Champions | Average weight |
| 1 | 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 80 kg (176 lb) |
| 2 | 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 81 kg (179 lb) |
| 2 | 1992 | Italy (3rd title) | 81 kg (179 lb) |
| 2 | 1996 | Spain (1st title) | 81 kg (179 lb) |
| 5 | 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | 82 kg (181 lb) |
Historical progression of records: Average weight (statistics since 1956) :
| Average weight | Achievement | Year | Champions | Date of winning gold | Duration of record |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | Set record | 1956 | Hungary (4th title) | 7 December 1956 | 3 years, 271 days |
| 81 kg (179 lb) | Broke record | 1960 | Italy (2nd title) | 3 September 1960 | 4 years, 45 days |
| 82 kg (181 lb) | Broke record | 1964 | Hungary (5th title) | 18 October 1964 | 4 years, 8 days |
| 94 kg (207 lb) | Broke record | 1968 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (1st title) | 26 October 1968 | 35 years, 308 days |
| 94 kg (207 lb) | Tied record | 1988 | Yugoslavia$^†$ (3rd title) | 1 October 1988 | 35 years, 308 days |
| 96 kg (212 lb) | Broke record | 2004 | Hungary (8th title) | 29 August 2004 | 3 years, 361 days |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | Broke record | 2008 | Hungary (9th title) | 24 August 2008 | 3 years, 354 days |
| 102 kg (225 lb) | Broke record | 2012 | Croatia (1st title) | 12 August 2012 | 12 years, 132 days |

### Team records

Teams having equal quantities in the tables below are ordered by the tournament the quantity was attained in (the teams that attained the quantity first are listed first). If the quantity was attained by more than one team in the same tournament, these teams are ordered alphabetically. Last updated: 8 August 2021.

#### Legend

* Year$^*$ – As host team
* Team$^†$ – Defunct team

#### Appearances
##### Most appearances

    23, Hungary (1912, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020).

##### Most appearances, never winning a title

    21, United States (1920, 1924, 1928, 1932$^*$, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1984$^*$, 1988, 1992, 1996$^*$, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016).

##### Most appearances, never finishing in the top two

    17, Netherlands (1908, 1920, 1924, 1928$^*$, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000).

##### Most appearances, never winning a medal

    16, Australia (1948, 1952, 1956$^*$, 1960, 1964, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000$^*$, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016).

##### Most appearances, never finishing in the top four

    16, Australia (1948, 1952, 1956$^*$, 1960, 1964, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000$^*$, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016).

##### Fewest appearances

    1, Luxembourg (1928), Iceland (1936), Chile (1948), Portugal (1952), Singapore (1956), East Germany$^†$ (1968), Iran (1976), South Korea (1988$^*$), Unified Team$^†$ (1992), Ukraine (1996), Slovakia (2000), Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (2004).

##### Fewest appearances, winning a title

    4, Serbia (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020).

##### Fewest appearances, finishing in the top two

    1, Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (2004).

##### Fewest appearances, finishing in the top two, active team

    3, Russia (1996, 2000, 2004).

##### Fewest appearances, winning a medal

    1, Unified Team$^†$ (1992), Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (2004).

##### Fewest appearances, winning a medal, active team

    3, Russia (1996, 2000, 2004).

##### Fewest appearances, finishing in the top four

    1, Unified Team$^†$ (1992), Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (2004).

##### Fewest appearances, finishing in the top four, active team

    3, Austria (1912, 1936, 1952), Russia (1996, 2000, 2004).

#### Top four
##### Most titles won

    9, Hungary (1932, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2008).

##### Most second-place finishes

    4, Belgium (1900, 1908, 1920$^*$, 1924), Yugoslavia$^†$ (1952, 1956, 1964, 1980).

##### Most third-place finishes

    4, Hungary (1960, 1968, 1980, 2020).

##### Most fourth-place finishes

    4, Spain (1980, 1984, 2000, 2020).

##### Most finishes in the top two

    12, Hungary (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2008).

##### Most finishes in the top two, never winning a title

    4, Belgium (1900, 1908, 1920$^*$, 1924).

##### Most finishes in the top three

    16, Hungary (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2020).

##### Most finishes in the top three, never winning a title

    6, Belgium (1900, 1908, 1912, 1920$^*$, 1924, 1936), United States (1924, 1932, 1972, 1984, 1988, 2008).

##### Most finishes in the top three, never finishing in the top two

    2, Netherlands (1948, 1976).

##### Most finishes in the top four

    17, Hungary (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2020).

##### Most finishes in the top four, never winning a title

    9, United States (1920, 1924, 1932$^*$, 1952, 1972, 1984$^*$, 1988, 1992, 2008).

##### Most finishes in the top four, never finishing in the top two

    3, Netherlands (1908, 1948, 1976), West Germany$^†$ (1972$^*$, 1984, 1988), Montenegro (2008, 2012, 2016).

##### Most finishes in the top four, never winning a medal

    3, Montenegro (2008, 2012, 2016).

##### Fewest finishes in the top two, winning a title

    1, France (1924$^*$).

##### Fewest finishes in the top three, winning a title

    2, Spain (1992$^*$, 1996).

##### Fewest finishes in the top three, finishing in the top two

    1, Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (2004), Greece (2020).

##### Fewest finishes in the top four, winning a title

    3, Germany (1928, 1932, 1936$^*$), Croatia (1996, 2012, 2016).

##### Fewest finishes in the top four, finishing in the top two

    1, Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (2004).

##### Fewest finishes in the top four, finishing in the top two, active team

    2, Russia (2000, 2004), Greece (2004, 2020).

##### Fewest finishes in the top four, winning a medal

    1, Unified Team$^†$ (1992), FR Yugoslavia$^†$ (2000), Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (2004).

##### Fewest finishes in the top four, winning a medal, active team

    2, Russia (2000, 2004), Greece (2004, 2020).

#### Consecutive
##### Most consecutive titles won

    3, Great Britain (1908$^*$–1912–1920), Hungary (2000–2004–2008).

##### Most consecutive second-place finishes

    2, Belgium (1920$^*$–1924), Germany (1932–1936$^*$), Yugoslavia$^†$ (1952–1956), United States (1984$^*$–1988).

##### Most consecutive third-place finishes

    2, Serbia (2008–2012).

##### Most consecutive fourth-place finishes

    3, Montenegro (2008–2012–2016).

##### Most consecutive finishes in the top two

    6, Hungary (1928–1932–1936–1948–1952–1956).

##### Most consecutive finishes in the top three

    12, Hungary (1928–1932–1936–1948–1952–1956–1960–1964–1968–1972–1976–1980).

##### Most consecutive finishes in the top four

    12, Hungary (1928–1932–1936–1948–1952–1956–1960–1964–1968–1972–1976–1980).

##### Most consecutive appearances

    19, Italy (1948–1952–1956–1960$^*$–1964–1968–1972–1976–1980–1984–1988–1992–1996–2000–2004–2008–2012–2016–2020).

##### Biggest improvement in position in consecutive tournaments

    Did not participate/qualify, then won the title, Germany (1924–1928), Italy (1936–1948).

#### Gaps
##### Longest gap between successive titles

    24 years, Hungary (1976–2000).

##### Longest gap between successive second-place finishes

    36 years, Italy (1976–2012).

##### Longest gap between successive third-place finishes

    44 years, Italy (1952–1996).

##### Longest gap between successive fourth-place finishes

    40 years, United States (1952–1992).

##### Longest gap between successive appearances in the top two

    24 years, Hungary (1976–2000).

##### Longest gap between successive appearances in the top three

    40 years, United States (1932$^*$–1972).

##### Longest gap between successive appearances in the top four

    40 years, Netherlands (1908–1948).

##### Longest gap between successive appearances

    61 years, South Africa (1960–2020).

#### Debuting teams
##### Best finish by a debuting team

    Champions, Great Britain (1900).

##### Best finish by a debuting team after 1900

    Runners-up, Croatia (1996), Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (2004).

##### Worst finish by a debuting team

    20th position, Portugal (1952).

##### Worst finish by a debuting team after 1972

    12th position (last position), Iran (1976), South Korea (1988$^*$), Ukraine (1996), Slovakia (2000).

#### Host teams
##### Best finish by host team

    Champions, Great Britain (1908$^*$), France (1924$^*$), Italy (1960$^*$), Soviet Union$^†$ (1980$^*$).

##### Worst finish by host team

    Did not participate/qualify, Finland (1952$^*$).

##### Worst finish by host team that participates in the tournament

    13th position, Great Britain (1948$^*$).

##### Worst finish by host team that participates in the tournament after 1972

    12th position (last position), South Korea (1988$^*$), China (2008$^*$), Great Britain (2012$^*$).

##### Best finish by last host team

    Champions, Great Britain (1912), Spain (1996).

##### Worst finish by last host team

    Did not participate/qualify, Netherlands (1932), Germany (1948), Canada (1980), Soviet Union$^†$ (1984, withdrew), South Korea (1992), China (2012), Great Britain (2016), Brazil (2020).

##### Worst finish by last host team that participates in the tournament

    15th position, Australia (1960).

##### Worst finish by last host team that participates in the tournament after 1972

    9th position, Australia (2004).

##### Had its best performance as hosts

    Champions, Great Britain (1908$^*$), France (1924$^*$), Italy (1960$^*$), Soviet Union$^†$ (1980$^*$). Runners-up, Sweden (1912$^*$), Belgium (1920$^*$), United States (1984$^*$). 9th position, Canada (1976$^*$). 12th position, South Korea (1988$^*$).

##### Had its worst performance as hosts

    12th position, South Korea (1988$^*$), China (2008$^*$). 13th position, Great Britain (1948$^*$).

##### Had its worst performance as hosts after 1972

    12th position (last position), South Korea (1988$^*$), China (2008$^*$), Great Britain (2012$^*$).

#### Defending champions
##### Best finish by defending champions

    Champions, Great Britain (1912, 1920), Hungary (1936, 1956, 2004, 2008), Yugoslavia$^†$ (1988), Serbia (2020).

##### Worst finish by defending champions

    Did not participate/qualify, Soviet Union$^†$ (1984, withdrew), Yugoslavia$^†$ (1992, defunct).

##### Worst finish by defending champions that participates in the next tournament

    8th position, Great Britain (1924), Soviet Union$^†$ (1976).

#### Defending runners-up
##### Best finish by defending runners-up

    Champions, Hungary (1932, 1952, 1976), Soviet Union$^†$ (1972), Spain (1996), Yugoslavia$^†$ (1968, 1984).

##### Worst finish by defending runners-up

    Did not participate/qualify, Germany (1948), Serbia and Montenegro$^†$ (2008, defunct).

##### Worst finish by defending runners-up that participates in the next tournament

    8th position, Italy (1980), United States (2012).

#### Population
##### Most populated country, participant

    China (2008$^*$), 1,324,655,000 (source)

##### Least populated country, participant

    Iceland (1928), 104,000 (source)

##### Least populated country, participant, after 1972

    Montenegro (2008), 616,000 (source)

##### Most populated country, hosts

    China (2008$^*$), 1,324,655,000 (source)

##### Least populated country, hosts

    Finland (1952$^*$), 4,090,000 (source)

##### Most populated country, champions

    Soviet Union$^†$ (1980$^*$), more than 260,000,000 (source)

##### Least populated country, champions

    Croatia (2012), 4,267,000 (source)

##### Most populated country, runners-up

    United States (2008), 304,375,000 (source)

##### Least populated country, runners-up

    Croatia (1996), 4,516,000 (source)

##### Most populated country, third place

    Unified Team$^†$ (1992), more than 280,000,000 (source)

##### Least populated country, third place

    Sweden (1908), 5,404,000 (source)

##### Most populated country, fourth place

    United States (1992), 256,514,000 (source)

##### Least populated country, fourth place

    Montenegro (2008), 616,000 (source)

## Player statistics
### Age records

The following tables show the oldest and youngest players who competed in men's water polo at the Summer Olympics, and the oldest and youngest male Olympic medalists in water polo. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Appearance
| Record | Age of the first Olympic water polo match | Player | Men's team | Pos | Date of birth | Date of the first Olympic water polo match | Ref |
| Oldest Olympic debutant | 42 years, 303 days | Alexandr Polukhin | Kazakhstan | GK | 15 October 1961 | 13 August 2004 | |
| Youngest male Olympian | 14 years, 133 days | Alfonso Tusell | Spain | FP | 11 April 1906 | 22 August 1920 | |
| Record | Age of the last Olympic water polo match | Player | Men's team | Pos | Date of birth | Date of the last Olympic water polo match | Ref |
| Oldest male Olympian | 45 years, 169 days | Charles Smith | Great Britain | GK | 26 January 1879 | 13 July 1924 | |
Medalist
| Record | Age of receiving the last Olympic gold/silver/bronze medal in water polo | Player | Men's team | Pos | Date of birth | Date of receiving the last Olympic gold/silver/bronze medal in water polo |
| Oldest male Olympic gold medalist | 41 years, 216 days | Charles Smith$^‡$ | Great Britain | GK | 26 January 1879 | 29 August 1920 |
| Oldest male Olympic silver medalist | 41 years, 128 days | Boris Goykhman | Soviet Union | GK | 28 April 1919 | 3 September 1960 |
| Oldest male Olympic bronze medalist | 37 years, 223 days | Boris Goykhman | Soviet Union | GK | 28 April 1919 | 7 December 1956 |
| Record | Age of receiving the first Olympic gold/silver/bronze medal in water polo | Player | Men's team | Pos | Date of birth | Date of receiving the first Olympic gold/silver/bronze medal in water polo |
| Youngest male Olympic gold medalist | 17 years, 40 days | György Kárpáti$^‡$ | Hungary | FP | 23 June 1935 | 2 August 1952 |
| Youngest male Olympic silver medalist | 18 years, 334 days | Herman Meyboom | Belgium | FP | 23 August 1889 | July 22, 1908 |
| Youngest male Olympic bronze medalist | 15 years, 306 days | Paul Vasseur | France | FP | 10 October 1884 | 12 August 1900 |

### Multiple appearances (five-time Olympians)

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic appearances (in descending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), date of birth (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 26 July 2021.
Seventeen athletes competed in water polo at five or more Olympic Games between 1900 and 2020 inclusive. Paul Radmilovic, representing Great Britain, is the first water polo player to compete at five Olympics (1908–1928).
Four players (Manuel Estiarte, Salvador Gómez, Jesús Rollán and Jordi Sans) were all members of the Spain men's national water polo team (1988–2000). Manuel Estiarte is the first and only water polo player (man or woman) to compete at six Olympics (1980–2000). Jesús Rollán is the first water polo goalkeeper of either gender to compete at five Olympics (1984–2004).
Tony Azevedo of the United States is the first non-European water polo player to compete at five Olympic Games (2000–2016).
Italian goalkeeper Stefano Tempesti competed at five Olympics between 2000 and 2016.
Legend and abbreviation
* – Hosts
* Apps – Appearances
Male athletes who competed in water polo at five or more Olympics :
| Apps | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | Ref |
| Apps | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| 6 | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Spain | FP | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 20 years (18/38) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | Paul Radmilovic | 1886 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Great Britain | FP | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | | 20 years (22/42) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 5 | Dezső Gyarmati | 1927 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | FP | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5 | Gianni De Magistris | 1950 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Italy | FP | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | | 16 years (17/33) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | Jordi Sans | 1965 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Spain | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | | 16 years (18/35) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | George Mavrotas | 1967 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | Greece | FP | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | | 16 years (17/33) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Salvador Gómez | 1968 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Spain | FP | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | | 16 years (20/36) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | Jesús Rollán | 1968 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Spain | GK | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | | 16 years (20/36) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | Tibor Benedek | 1972 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Hungary | FP | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 5 | Igor Hinić | 1975 | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | Croatia | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | | 16 years (20/36) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | Tamás Kásás | 1976 | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | Hungary | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 5 | Georgios Afroudakis | 1976 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Greece | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | | 16 years (19/35) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Stefano Tempesti | 1979 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Italy | GK | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | | 16 years (21/37) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 5 | Tony Azevedo | 1981 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | United States | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | | 16 years (18/34) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | Jesse Smith | 1983 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | United States | FP | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | | 17 years (21/38) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | Xavier García | 1984 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Spain | FP | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | | | | 17 years (20/37) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | Xavier García | 1984 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Croatia | FP | | | | 2016 | 2020 | | 17 years (20/37) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | Pietro Figlioli | 1984 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Australia | FP | 2004 | 2008 | | | | | 17 years (20/37) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 5 | Pietro Figlioli | 1984 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Italy | FP | | | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | | 17 years (20/37) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Apps | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| Apps | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | | Ref |

### Multiple medalists

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 11 August 2024.
Eleven male athletes won four or more Olympic medals in water polo. Among them, seven were members of the Hungary men's national water polo team. Dezső Gyarmati is the first and only athlete (man or woman) to win five Olympic medals in water polo (three gold, one silver and one bronze).
Filip Filipović, Duško Pijetlović and Andrija Prlainović, all representing Serbia, won four consecutive Olympic medals between 2008 and 2021.
Legend
* – Hosts
Male athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo :
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | Ref |
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| 1 | Dezső Gyarmati | 1927 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | FP | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 2 | György Kárpáti | 1935 | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | Hungary | FP | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | | 12 years (17/29) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2 | Dušan Mandić | 1994 | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | Serbia | FP | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | | 12 years (18/30) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 4 | László Jeney | 1923 | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | Hungary | GK | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | | 12 years (25/37) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 5 | Mihály Mayer | 1933 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | FP | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | | 12 years (22/34) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 5 | Filip Filipović | 1987 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Serbia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | | 13 years (21/34) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 5 | Duško Pijetlović | 1985 | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | Serbia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | | 13 years (23/36) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 5 | Andrija Prlainović | 1987 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Serbia | FP | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | | 13 years (21/34) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 9 | András Bodnár | 1942 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Hungary | FP | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | | 12 years (18/30) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 9 | Endre Molnár | 1945 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | GK | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | | 12 years (23/35) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 9 | István Szívós Jr. | 1948 | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | Hungary | FP | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | | 12 years (20/32) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 12 | Joseph Pletincx | 1888 | | Belgium | FP | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | | 16 years (20/36) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | | Ref |
Sources:
* Sports Reference: Athlete Medal Leaders (1900–2016);
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 27), 2004 (p. 89), 2008 (p. 79), 2012 (p. 370), 2016 (p. 6), 2020 (p. 11).

### Multiple gold medalists

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 March 2021.
Ten athletes won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo. Six players (Tibor Benedek, Péter Biros, Tamás Kásás, Gergely Kiss, Tamás Molnár and Zoltán Szécsi) were all members of the Hungary men's national water polo team that won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2004 and 2008.
There are thirty-one male athletes who won two Olympic gold medals in water polo.
Legend
* – Hosts
Male athletes who won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo :
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | Ref |
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| 1 | Dezső Gyarmati | 1927 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Hungary | FP | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 2 | György Kárpáti | 1935 | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | Hungary | FP | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | | 12 years (17/29) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2 | Dušan Mandić | 1994 | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | Serbia | FP | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | | 12 years (18/30) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Paul Radmilovic | 1886 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Great Britain | FP | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 20 years (22/42) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Charles Smith | 1879 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Great Britain | GK | 1908 | 1912 | 1920 | 1924 | | 16 years (29/45) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Tibor Benedek | 1972 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Hungary | FP | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Péter Biros | 1976 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Hungary | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | | 12 years (24/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Tamás Kásás | 1976 | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | Hungary | FP | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Gergely Kiss | 1977 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Hungary | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | | 12 years (22/34) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Tamás Molnár | 1975 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | Hungary | FP | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | | | 8 years (25/33) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Zoltán Szécsi | 1977 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Hungary | GK | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | | 12 years (22/34) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Nikola Jakšić | 1997 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Serbia | FP | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | | | 8 years (19/27) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Sava Ranđelović | 1993 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | Serbia | FP | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | | | 8 years (23/31) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | Men's team | Pos | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Water polo tournaments | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | | Ref |

### Top goalscorers (one match)

The following table is pre-sorted by date of the match (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 4 August 2021.
Scoring seven or more goals in a water polo match is a great feat, as it has only been accomplished 12 times, by 12 players, in the history of men's Olympic tournament.
The first two Olympians to do so were Olivér Halassy and János Németh, with Hungary men's national team in Los Angeles on 8 August 1932. Halassy lost his left leg below the knee when he was a boy. He is the first and only amputee athlete to compete in water polo at the Summer Olympics.
The most recent player to do so was Krisztián Manhercz, with Hungary men's national team in Tokyo on 4 August 2021.
Four players have each netted nine goals in an Olympic match. Hungarian center forward János Németh is the first water polo player to achieve this feat. On 22 October 1968, Zoran Janković of Yugoslavia became the second player to do so. And Manuel Estiarte of Spain is the third player. At the 2008 Games, Aleksandar Šapić of Serbia became the first player to score nine goals in an Olympic match in the 21st century.
At the 1968 Summer Olympics, László Felkai netted seven goals in the bronze medal match on 26 October 1968, helping the Hungarian team win the match. A few hours later, Yugoslavia won the gold medal match over the Soviet Union after extra time, 13–11, despite seven goals scored by Aleksei Barkalov.
Legend and abbreviation
* – Player's team drew the match
* – Player's team lost the match
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
* G – Goals
* aet – After extra time
* pso – Penalty shootout
Male players with seven or more goals in an Olympic match :
| # | G | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | For | Result | Against | Tournament | Round | Date | Ref |
| 1 | 7 | Olivér Halassy$^‡$ | 1909 | 23 | 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) | | Hungary | 18–0 | Japan | Los Angeles 1932 | Round-robin group | 8 Aug 1932 | |
| 2 | 9 | János Németh$^‡$ | 1906 | 26 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | | Hungary | 18–0 | Japan | Los Angeles 1932 | Round-robin group | 8 Aug 1932 | |
| 3 | 8 | Veit Herrmanns | 1946 | 22 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | | East Germany | 19–2 | Egypt | Mexico City 1968 | Preliminary round Group B | 21 Oct 1968 | |
| 4 | 9 | Zoran Janković$^‡$ | 1940 | 28 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | | Yugoslavia | 17–2 | Japan | Mexico City 1968 | Preliminary round Group B | 22 Oct 1968 | |
| 5 | 7 | László Felkai | 1941 | 27 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | | Hungary | 9–4 | Italy | Mexico City 1968 | Bronze medal match | 26 Oct 1968 | |
| 6 | 7 | Aleksei Barkalov | 1946 | 22 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | | Soviet Union | 11–11 11–13 (aet) | Yugoslavia | Mexico City 1968 | Gold medal match | 26 Oct 1968 | [51] [52] |
| 7 | 9 | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 22 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | Spain | 19–12 | Brazil | Los Angeles 1984 | Preliminary round Group B | 1 Aug 1984 | |
| 8 | 8 | Pierre Garsau | 1961 | 26 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | | France | 11–4 | China | Seoul 1988 | Classification round 9th–12th place | 30 Sep 1988 | |
| 9 | 7 | Ivan Zaitsev | 1975 | 29 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | Kazakhstan | 15–7 | Egypt | Athens 2004 | 11th–12th place match | 27 Aug 2004 | |
| 10 | 9 | Aleksandar Šapić | 1978 | 30 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | Serbia | 15–5 | China | Beijing 2008 | Preliminary round Group B | 16 Aug 2008 | |
| 11 | 7 | Felipe Perrone | 1986 | 22 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Right | Spain | 10–6 | Greece | Beijing 2008 | Preliminary round Group A | 18 Aug 2008 | |
| 12 | 7 | Krisztián Manhercz | 1997 | 24 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Right | Hungary | 15–11 | Croatia | Tokyo 2020 | Quarter-finals | 4 Aug 2021 | |
| # | G | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | For | Result | Against | Tournament | Round | Date | Ref |
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of goals scored by a male water polo player in a single Olympic match. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records: Most goals scored by a male player, one match :
| Goals | Achievement | Year | Player | Age | Height | | L/R | Men's team | Date | Duration of record | Ref |
| 6 | Set record | 1900 | John Jarvis$^‡$ | 28 | | | Great Britain | 11 August 1900 | 31 years, 363 days | |
| 6 | Tied record | 1908 | Fernand Feyaerts | 27–28 | | | Belgium | 15 July 1908 | 31 years, 363 days | |
| 6 | Tied record | 1928 | Koos Köhler | 22 | | | Netherlands | 5 August 1928 | 31 years, 363 days | |
| 6 | Tied record | 1928 | Herbert Topp | 28 | | | United States | 8 August 1928 | 31 years, 363 days | |
| 6 | Tied record | 1932 | Philip Daubenspeck | 26 | | | United States | 6 August 1932 | 31 years, 363 days | |
| 9 | Broke record | 1932 | János Németh$^‡$ | 26 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | | Hungary | 8 August 1932 | 92 years, 136 days | |
| 9 | Tied record | 1968 | Zoran Janković$^‡$ | 28 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | | Yugoslavia | 22 October 1968 | 92 years, 136 days | |
| 9 | Tied record | 1984 | Manuel Estiarte | 22 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | Spain | 1 August 1984 | 92 years, 136 days | |
| 9 | Tied record | 2008 | Aleksandar Šapić | 30 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | Serbia | 16 August 2008 | 92 years, 136 days | |
| Goals | Achievement | Year | Player | Age | Height | L/R | Men's team | Date | Duration of record | Ref |

### Top goalscorers (one tournament)

The following table is pre-sorted by number of goals (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Five male players have scored 25 or more goals in an Olympic water polo tournament.
Spaniard Manuel Estiarte is the first and only water polo player to achieve this feat twice. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, Estiarte netted 34 goals, setting the record for the most goals scored by a water polo player in a single Olympic tournament. Four years later, he scored 27 goals in Seoul.
The most recent player to scoring 25 or more goals in a tournament was Alessandro Calcaterra, with Italy men's national team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Male players with 25 or more goals in an Olympic tournament :
| Rk | Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
| 1 | 1984 | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 22 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 34 | 7 | 4.857 | Spain | 4th of 12 teams | |
| 2 | 1968 | Nico van der Voet | 1944 | 24 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | | 33 | 9 | 3.667 | Netherlands | 7th of 15 teams | |
| 3 | 1968 | Eraldo Pizzo | 1938 | 30 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 29 | 9 | 3.222 | Italy | 4th of 15 teams | |
| 4 | 1988 | Manuel Estiarte (2) | 1961 | 26 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 27 | 7 | 3.857 | Spain | 6th of 12 teams | |
| 4 | 2008 | Alessandro Calcaterra | 1975 | 33 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 27 | 8 | 3.375 | Italy | 9th of 12 teams | |
| 6 | 1968 | Rubén Junco | 1950 | 18 | 1.54 m (5 ft 1 in) | | 26 | 8 | 3.250 | Cuba | 8th of 15 teams | |
| Rk | Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
Sources:
* Official Reports (PDF): 1900–1972, 1976 (p. 497), 1980 (p. 510), 1984 (p. 534), 1988–1996;
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 45–92), 2004 (p. 184), 2008 (p. 179), 2012 (p. 466), 2016 (p. 100);
* Olympedia: 1900–2016 (men's tournaments);
* Sports Reference: 1900–2016 (men's tournaments).
The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Hans Schneider of Germany scored 22 goals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which stood as an Olympic water polo record for one Games until 1968, when the Dutch player Nico van der Voet netted 33 goals in Mexico City.
At 18 years old, Manuel Estiarte of Spain made his Olympic debut at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where he was the youngest-ever male top goalscorer with 21 goals. He was also the top goalscorer at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics, with 34 and 27 goals, respectively. He was the joint top goalscorer at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with 22 goals.
Hungarian left-handed player Tibor Benedek was the joint top goalscorer at the 1992 Games with 22 goals, and the top goalscorer at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with 19 goals.
Aleksandar Šapić, representing FR Yugoslavia, was the top goalscorer at the 2000 Sydney Olympics with 18 goals. Four years later, he netted 18 goals for Serbia and Montenegro, becoming the top goalscorer at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
31-year-old István Szívós Sr. scored 16 goals for Hungary at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, which stood as an age record for the oldest top goalscorer in a single Olympic water polo tournament until 2008, when 33-year-old Alessandro Calcaterra of Italy netted 27 goals in Beijing.
Left-hander Filip Filipović of Serbia was the joint top goalscorer at the 2016 Olympics, with 19 goals. He netted two goals in the gold medal match, helping the Serbian team win the Olympics.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Male players with the most goals in each Olympic tournament :
| Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
| 1900 | John Jarvis$^‡$ | 1872 | 28 | | | 6 | 1 | 6.000 | Great Britain | 1st of 7 teams | |
| 1908 | Fernand Feyaerts | 1880 | 27–28 | | | 8 | 3 | 2.667 | Belgium | 2nd of 4 teams | |
| 1912 | Robert Andersson | 1886 | 25 | | | 9 | 4 | 2.250 | Sweden | 2nd of 6 teams | |
| 1920 | Erik Andersson | 1896 | 24 | | | 10 | 4 | 2.500 | Sweden | 3rd of 12 teams | |
| 1924 | Pierre Dewin | 1894 | 29–30 | | | 14 | 5 | 2.800 | Belgium | 2nd of 13 teams | |
| 1928 | Ferenc Keserű | 1903 | 24 | 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) | | 10 | 4 | 2.500 | Hungary | 2nd of 14 teams | |
| 1932 | Philip Daubenspeck | 1905 | 26 | | | 14 | 4 | 3.500 | United States | 3rd of 5 teams | |
| 1936 | Hans Schneider | 1909 | 26 | | | 22 | 7 | 3.143 | Germany | 2nd of 16 teams | |
| 1948 | Aldo Ghira$^‡$ | 1920 | 28 | | | 18 | 7 | 2.571 | Italy | 1st of 18 teams | |
| 1952 | Ruud van Feggelen | 1924 | 28 | | | 16 | 8 | 2.000 | Netherlands | 5th of 21 teams | |
| 1952 | István Szívós Sr.$^‡$ | 1920 | 31 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | 16 | 8 | 2.000 | Hungary | 1st of 21 teams | |
| 1956 | Petre Mshvenieradze | 1929 | 27 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | | 11 | 7 | 1.571 | Soviet Union | 3rd of 10 teams | |
| 1960 | Fred Tisue | 1938 | 21 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | | 12 | 7 | 1.714 | United States | 7th of 16 teams | |
| 1960 | Aurel Zahan | 1938 | 22 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | | 12 | 7 | 1.714 | Romania | 5th of 16 teams | |
| 1964 | Nico van der Voet | 1944 | 20 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | | 10 | 7 | 1.429 | Netherlands | 8ht of 13 teams | |
| 1968 | Nico van der Voet (2) | 1944 | 24 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | | 33 | 9 | 3.667 | Netherlands | 7th of 15 teams | |
| 1972 | Carlos Sánchez | 1952 | 20 | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | | 18 | 9 | 2.000 | Cuba | 9th of 16 teams | |
| 1976 | Tamás Faragó$^‡$ | 1952 | 23 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Right | 22 | 8 | 2.750 | Hungary | 1st of 12 teams | |
| 1980 | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 18 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 21 | 8 | 2.625 | Spain | 4th of 12 teams | |
| 1984 | Manuel Estiarte (2) | 1961 | 22 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 34 | 7 | 4.857 | Spain | 4th of 12 teams | |
| 1988 | Manuel Estiarte (3) | 1961 | 26 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 27 | 7 | 3.857 | Spain | 6th of 12 teams | |
| 1992 | Tibor Benedek | 1972 | 20 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Left | 22 | 7 | 3.143 | Hungary | 6th of 12 teams | |
| 1992 | Manuel Estiarte (4) | 1961 | 30 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | 22 | 7 | 3.143 | Spain | 2nd of 12 teams | |
| 1996 | Tibor Benedek (2) | 1972 | 24 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Left | 19 | 8 | 2.375 | Hungary | 4th of 12 teams | |
| 2000 | Aleksandar Šapić | 1978 | 22 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 18 | 8 | 2.250 | Yugoslavia | 3rd of 12 teams | |
| 2004 | Aleksandar Šapić (2) | 1978 | 26 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 18 | 8 | 2.250 | Serbia and Montenegro | 2nd of 12 teams | |
| 2008 | Alessandro Calcaterra | 1975 | 33 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 27 | 8 | 3.375 | Italy | 9th of 12 teams | |
| 2012 | Andrija Prlainović | 1987 | 25 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | 22 | 8 | 2.750 | Serbia | 3rd of 12 teams | |
| 2016 | Filip Filipović$^‡$ | 1987 | 29 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Left | 19 | 8 | 2.375 | Serbia | 1st of 12 teams | |
| 2016 | Guillermo Molina | 1984 | 32 | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Right | 19 | 8 | 2.375 | Spain | 7th of 12 teams | |
| Year | Player | Birth | Age | Height | L/R | Goals | Matches played | Goals per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
Sources:
* Official Reports (PDF): 1900–1972, 1976 (p. 497), 1980 (p. 510), 1984 (p. 534), 1988–1996;
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 45–92), 2004 (p. 184), 2008 (p. 179), 2012 (p. 466), 2016 (p. 100);
* Olympedia: 1900–2016 (men's tournaments);
* Sports Reference: 1900–2016 (men's tournaments).
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of goals scored by a male water polo player in a single Olympic tournament. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records: Most goals scored by a male player, one tournament :
| Goals | Achievement | Year | Player | Age | Height | L/R | Men's team | Date | Duration of record | Ref |
| 6 | Set record | 1900 | John Jarvis$^‡$ | 28 | | | Great Britain | 12 August 1900 | 7 years, 345 days | |
| 8 | Broke record | 1908 | Fernand Feyaerts | 27–28 | | | Belgium | 22 July 1908 | 3 years, 360 days | |
| 9 | Broke record | 1912 | Robert Andersson | 25 | | | Sweden | 16 July 1912 | 8 years, 44 days | |
| 10 | Broke record | 1920 | Erik Andersson | 24 | | | Sweden | 29 August 1920 | 3 years, 326 days | |
| 14 | Broke record | 1924 | Pierre Dewin | 29–30 | | | Belgium | 20 July 1924 | 12 years, 26 days | |
| 14 | Tied record | 1932 | Philip Daubenspeck | 26 | | | United States | 13 August 1932 | 12 years, 26 days | |
| 22 | Broke record | 1936 | Hans Schneider | 26 | | | Germany | 15 August 1936 | 32 years, 72 days | |
| 33 | Broke record | 1968 | Nico van der Voet | 24 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | | Netherlands | 26 October 1968 | 15 years, 289 days | |
| 34 | Broke record | 1984 | Manuel Estiarte | 22 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | Spain | 10 August 1984 | 40 years, 134 days | |
| Goals | Achievement | Year | Player | Age | Height | L/R | Men's team | Date | Duration of record | Ref |

### Top goalscorers (all-time)

The following table is pre-sorted by number of total goals (in descending order), number of total Olympic matches played (in ascending order), date of the last Olympic match played (in ascending order), date of the first Olympic match played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Six-time Olympian Manuel Estiarte holds the record for the most goals scored by a water polo player in Olympic history, with 127 goals, far more than any other player. At his first three Olympics (1980–1988), Estiarte netted 82 goals.
Hungarian left-hander Tibor Benedek scored 65 goals at five Olympics (1992–2008), and his teammate Tamás Kásás netted 56 goals between 1996 and 2012.
Aleksandar Šapić, representing FR Yugoslavia in 1996 and 2000, Serbia and Montenegro in 2004, and Serbia in 2008, scored 64 goals in 32 matches.
Tony Azevedo of the United States holds the record for the most goals scored by a non-European water polo player in Olympic history, with 61 goals at five Olympics (2000–2016).
Gianni De Magistris is the top scorer for the Italy men's Olympic water polo team, with 59 goals (1968–1984). His compatriot Eraldo Pizzo netted 53 goals at four Olympics between 1960 and 1972.
Charles Turner, representing Australia between 1976 and 1984, scored 50 goals in 23 matches.
Legend
* – Hosts
All-time male players with 50 or more goals at the Olympics :
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | L/R | Men's team | Total goals | Total matches played | Goals per match | Tournaments (goals) | Tournaments (goals) | Tournaments (goals) | Tournaments (goals) | Tournaments (goals) | Tournaments (goals) | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | Ref |
| Rk | Player | Birth | Height | L/R | Men's team | Total goals | Total matches played | Goals per match | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| 1 | Manuel Estiarte | 1961 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | Spain | 127 | 45 | 2.822 | 1980 (21) | 1984 (34) | 1988 (27) | 1992 (22) | 1996 (13) | 2000 (10) | 20 years (18/38) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2 | Tibor Benedek | 1972 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Left | Hungary | 65 | 37 | 1.757 | 1992 (22) | 1996 (19) | 2000 (9) | 2004 (5) | 2008 (10) | | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Aleksandar Šapić | 1978 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | Yugoslavia | 64 | 32 | 2.000 | 1996 (8) | 2000 (18) | | | | | 12 years (18/30) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Aleksandar Šapić | 1978 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | Serbia and Montenegro | 64 | 32 | 2.000 | | | 2004 (18) | | | | 12 years (18/30) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Aleksandar Šapić | 1978 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | Serbia | 64 | 32 | 2.000 | | | | 2008 (20) | | | 12 years (18/30) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Tony Azevedo | 1981 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | United States | 61 | 35 | 1.743 | 2000 (13) | 2004 (15) | 2008 (17) | 2012 (11) | 2016 (5) | | 16 years (18/34) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | Gianni De Magistris | 1950 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | Italy | 59 | 40 | 1.475 | 1968 (6) | 1972 (11) | 1976 (11) | 1980 (20) | 1984 (11) | | 16 years (17/33) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 6 | Tamás Kásás | 1976 | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | Right | Hungary | 56 | 38 | 1.474 | 1996 (13) | 2000 (12) | 2004 (14) | 2008 (8) | 2012 (9) | | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 7 | Eraldo Pizzo | 1938 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | Italy | 53 | 29 | 1.828 | 1960 (7) | 1964 (5) | 1968 (29) | 1972 (12) | | | 12 years (22/34) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 8 | Charles Turner | 1952 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | Australia | 50 | 23 | 2.174 | 1976 (15) | 1980 (17) | 1984 (18) | | | | 8 years (23/31) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Sources:
* Official Reports (PDF): 1900–1972, 1976 (p. 497), 1980 (p. 510), 1984 (p. 534), 1988–1996;
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 45–92), 2004 (p. 184), 2008 (p. 179), 2012 (p. 466), 2016 (p. 100);
* Olympedia: 1900–2016 (men's tournaments);
* Sports Reference: 1900–2016 (men's tournaments).
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of total goals scored by a male water polo player at the Summer Olympics. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records: Most goals scored by a male player, all-time :
| Total goals | Achievement | Year | Player | Age | Height | L/R | Men's team | Date | Duration of record | Ref |
| 32 | Set record | 1936 | János Németh$^‡$ | 30 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | | Hungary | 15 August 1936 | 32 years, 72 days | |
| 32 | Tied record | 1952 | Ruud van Feggelen | 28 | | | Netherlands | 2 August 1952 | 32 years, 72 days | |
| 43 | Broke record | 1968 | Nico van der Voet | 24 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | | Netherlands | 26 October 1968 | 3 years, 314 days | |
| 53 | Broke record | 1972 | Eraldo Pizzo | 34 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | Right | Italy | 4 September 1972 | 11 years, 341 days | |
| 59 | Broke record | 1984 | Gianni De Magistris | 33 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Right | Italy | 10 August 1984 | 4 years, 52 days | |
| 82 | Broke record | 1988 | Manuel Estiarte | 26 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | Spain | 1 October 1988 | 3 years, 313 days | |
| 104 | Broke record | 1992 | Manuel Estiarte (2) | 30 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | Spain | 9 August 1992 | 3 years, 354 days | |
| 117 | Broke record | 1996 | Manuel Estiarte$^‡$ (3) | 34 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | Spain | 28 July 1996 | 4 years, 65 days | |
| 127 | Broke record | 2000 | Manuel Estiarte (4) | 38 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Right | Spain | 1 October 2000 | 24 years, 82 days | |
| Total goals | Achievement | Year | Player | Age | Height | L/R | Men's team | Date | Duration of record | Ref |

### Top goalkeepers (one match)

The following table is pre-sorted by date of the match (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Since 1996, nine male water polo goalkeepers have each saved sixteen or more shots in an Olympic match.
The first man to do so was Christopher Duplanty, with the United States men's national team in Atlanta. He blocked 20 shots on 24 July 1996, setting the record for the most shots saved by a water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic match.
The most recent goalkeeper to do so was Viktor Nagy, with Hungary men's national team in Rio de Janeiro on 18 August 2016.
Italian Stefano Tempesti is the only water polo goalkeeper to achieve this feat twice.
Legend and abbreviation
* – Player's team drew the match
* – Player's team lost the match
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
* aet – After extra time
* pso – Penalty shootout
* OR – Official Reports
* ORB – Official Results Books
Male goalkeepers with sixteen or more saves in an Olympic match (statistics since 1996) :
| # | Saves | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | For | Result | Against | Tournament | Round | Date | Ref |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Duplanty | 1965 | 30 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | United States | 10–8 | Croatia | Atlanta 1996 | Preliminary round Group B | 24 Jul 1996 | OR 1996 (p. 66) |
| 2 | 16 | Siniša Školneković | 1968 | 28 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | Croatia | 4–4 7–6 (aet) | Italy | Atlanta 1996 | Semi-finals | 27 Jul 1996 | OR 1996 (p. 72) |
| 3 | 17 | Nikolay Maksimov | 1972 | 27 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Russia | 6–4 | Australia | Sydney 2000 | Preliminary round Group A | 23 Sep 2000 | ORB 2000 (p. 66) |
| 4 | 19 | Stefano Tempesti | 1979 | 29 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Italy | 10–10 13–13 (aet) 3–4 (pso) | Australia | Beijing 2008 | Classification round 7th–10th place | 22 Aug 2008 | ORB 2008 (p. 152) |
| 5 | 16 | Merrill Moses | 1977 | 31 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | United States | 10–5 | Serbia | Beijing 2008 | Semi-finals | 22 Aug 2008 | ORB 2008 (p. 158) |
| 6 | 17 | Stefano Tempesti (2) | 1979 | 33 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Italy | 8–5 | Australia | London 2012 | Preliminary round Group A | 29 Jul 2012 | ORB 2012 (p. 377) |
| 7 | 17 | Dragoș Stoenescu | 1979 | 33 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Romania | 13–4 | Great Britain | London 2012 | Preliminary round Group B | 29 Jul 2012 | ORB 2012 (p. 381) |
| 8 | 16 | Iñaki Aguilar | 1983 | 28 | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | Spain | 11–9 | Greece | London 2012 | Preliminary round Group A | 4 Aug 2012 | ORB 2012 (p. 417) |
| 9 | 16 | Viktor Nagy | 1984 | 32 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Hungary | 13–4 | Brazil | Rio 2016 | Classification round 5th–8th place | 18 Aug 2016 | ORB 2016 (p. 77) |
| # | Saves | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | For | Result | Against | Tournament | Round | Date | Ref |
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of shots saved by a male water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic match since 1996. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
* OR – Official Reports
* ORB – Official Results Books
Historical progression of records: Most shots saved by a male goalkeeper, one match (statistics since 1996) :
| Saves | Achievement | Year | Goalkeeper | Age | Height | Men's team | Date | Duration of record | Ref |
| 20 | Set record | 1996 | Christopher Duplanty | 30 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | United States | 24 July 1996 | 28 years, 151 days | OR 1996 (p. 66) |

### Top goalkeepers (one tournament)

The following table is pre-sorted by number of saves (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Since 1996, six male goalkeepers have saved 75 or more shots in an Olympic water polo tournament.
Stefano Tempesti of Italy is the first water polo goalkeeper to achieve this feat twice. At the 2008 Olympics, Tempesti saved 83 shots. Four years later in London, he blocked 87 shots, setting the record for the most saves by a water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic tournament.
Slobodan Soro is the second goalkeeper to achieve this feat twice. At the 2012 London Olympics, Soro saved 75 shots for Serbia. In Rio de Janeiro, he saved 81 shots for Brazil.
At the 2012 Summer Games, Josip Pavić saved 85 shots, including nine in the gold medal match, helping the Croatia team win the Olympics. He is the most efficient one among these six goalkeepers.
Legend and abbreviation
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
* MP – Matches played
* Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
* 70.2% – Highest save efficiency
Male goalkeepers with 75 or more saves in an Olympic tournament (statistics since 1996) :
| Rk | Year | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | Saves | Shots | Eff % | MP | Saves per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
| 1 | 2012 | Stefano Tempesti | 1979 | 33 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | 87 | 147 | 59.2% | 8 | 10.875 | Italy | 2nd of 12 teams | |
| 2 | 2012 | Josip Pavić$^‡$ | 1982 | 30 | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 85 | 121 | 70.2% | 8 | 10.625 | Croatia | 1st of 12 teams | |
| 3 | 2008 | Stefano Tempesti (2) | 1979 | 29 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | 83 | 169 | 49.1% | 8 | 10.375 | Italy | 9th of 12 teams | |
| 4 | 1996 | Arie van de Bunt | 1969 | 27 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 | 154 | 52.6% | 8 | 10.125 | Netherlands | 10th of 12 teams | |
| 4 | 2016 | Slobodan Soro | 1978 | 37 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 81 | 152 | 53.3% | 8 | 10.125 | Brazil | 8th of 12 teams | |
| 6 | 1996 | Christopher Duplanty | 1965 | 30 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 77 | 132 | 58.3% | 8 | 9.625 | United States | 7th of 12 teams | |
| 6 | 1996 | Siniša Školneković | 1968 | 28 | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | 77 | 135 | 57.0% | 8 | 9.625 | Croatia | 2nd of 12 teams | |
| 8 | 2012 | Slobodan Soro (2) | 1978 | 33 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 75 | 135 | 55.6% | 8 | 9.375 | Serbia | 3rd of 12 teams | |
| Rk | Year | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | Saves | Shots | Eff % | MP | Saves per match | Men's team | Finish | Ref |
Sources:
* Official Reports (PDF): 1996 (pp. 56–73);
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 45–92), 2004 (p. 180), 2008 (p. 175), 2012 (p. 462), 2016 (p. 102).
The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
At the 2004 Summer Games, Nikolay Maksimov saved 62 shots, including seven in the bronze medal match, helping Russia win the match.
Stefano Tempesti of Italy blocked 83 shots at the 2008 Olympics. In the 2012 edition, he saved 87 shots, helping the Italian team win the Olympic silver medal.
Slobodan Soro, representing Brazil, saved 81 shots at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Legend and abbreviation
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
* MP – Matches played
* Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Male goalkeepers with the most saves in each Olympic tournament (statistics since 1996) :
| Year | Goalkeeper | Birth | Age | Height | Saves | Shots | Eff % | MP | Saves per match | Men's team | Finish |
| 1996 | Arie van de Bunt | 1969 | 27 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 | 154 | 52.6% | 8 | 10.125 | Netherlands | 10th of 12 teams |
| 2000 | Dan Hackett | 1970 | 30 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | 70 | 135 | 51.9% | 8 | 8.750 | United States | 6th of 12 teams |
| 2004 | Nikolay Maksimov | 1972 | 31 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 62 | 104 | 59.6% | 8 | 7.750 | Russia | 3rd of 12 teams |
| 2008 | Stefano Tempesti | 1979 | 29 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | 83 | 169 | 49.1% | 8 | 10.375 | Italy | 9th of 12 teams |
| 2012 | Stefano Tempesti (2) | 1979 | 33 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | 87 | 147 | 59.2% | 8 | 10.875 | Italy | 2nd of 12 teams |
| 2016 | Slobodan Soro | 1978 | 37 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 81 | 152 | 53.3% | 8 | 10.125 | Brazil | 8th of 12 teams |
Sources:
* Official Reports (PDF): 1996 (pp. 56–73);
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 45–92), 2004 (p. 180), 2008 (p. 175), 2012 (p. 462), 2016 (p. 102).
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of shots saved by a male water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic tournament since 1996. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records: Most shots saved by a male goalkeeper, one tournament (statistics since 1996) :
| Saves | Achievement | Year | Goalkeeper | Age | Height | Men's team | Date | Duration of record |
| 81 | Set record | 1996 | Arie van de Bunt | 27 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Netherlands | 28 July 1996 | 12 years, 27 days |
| 83 | Broke record | 2008 | Stefano Tempesti | 29 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Italy | 24 August 2008 | 3 years, 354 days |
| 87 | Broke record | 2012 | Stefano Tempesti (2) | 33 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Italy | 12 August 2012 | 12 years, 132 days |

### Top goalkeepers (all-time)

The following table is pre-sorted by number of total saves (in descending order), number of total Olympic matches played (in ascending order), date of the last Olympic match played (in ascending order), date of the first Olympic match played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Five-time Olympian Stefano Tempesti holds the record for the most shots saved by a water polo goalkeeper at the Olympics since 1996, with 295 saves.
Nikolay Maksimov, representing Russia, saved 178 shots at three Olympics (1996–2004). Eight years later, he represented Kazakhstan at the 2012 London Olympics, blocking 50 shots.
Slobodan Soro saved 132 shots in 2008 and 2012, representing Serbia. He was a member of the Brazil men's national team that competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, blocking 81 shots.
Legend
* – Hosts
All-time male goalkeepers with 200 or more saves at the Olympics (statistics since 1996) :
| Rk | Goalkeeper | Birth | Height | Men's team | Total saves | Total matches played | Saves per match | Tournaments (saves) | Tournaments (saves) | Tournaments (saves) | Tournaments (saves) | Tournaments (saves) | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | Ref |
| Rk | Goalkeeper | Birth | Height | Men's team | Total saves | Total matches played | Saves per match | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| 1 | Stefano Tempesti | 1979 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Italy | 295 | 39 | 7.564 | 2000 (24) | 2004 (50) | 2008 (83) | 2012 (87) | 2016 (51) | 16 years (21/37) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2 | Nikolay Maksimov | 1972 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Russia | 228 | 29 | 7.862 | 1996 (58) | 2000 (58) | 2004 (62) | | | 16 years (23/39) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2 | Nikolay Maksimov | 1972 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Kazakhstan | 228 | 29 | 7.862 | | | | | 2012 (50) | 16 years (23/39) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 3 | Slobodan Soro | 1978 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Serbia | 213 | 24 | 8.875 | 2008 (57) | 2012 (75) | | | | 8 years (29/37) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | Slobodan Soro | 1978 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Brazil | 213 | 24 | 8.875 | | | 2016 (81) | | | 8 years (29/37) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
Sources:
* Official Reports (PDF): 1996 (pp. 56–73);
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 45–92), 2004 (p. 180), 2008 (p. 175), 2012 (p. 462), 2016 (p. 102).
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of total shots saved by a male water polo goalkeeper at the Summer Olympics since 1996. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records: Most shots saved by a male goalkeeper, all-time (statistics since 1996) :
| Total saves | Achievement | Year | Goalkeeper | Age | Height | Men's team | Date | Duration of record |
| 146 | Set record | 2000 | Arie van de Bunt | 31 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Netherlands | 1 October 2000 | 3 years, 333 days |
| 178 | Broke record | 2004 | Nikolay Maksimov | 31 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Russia | 29 August 2004 | 7 years, 349 days |
| 244 | Broke record | 2012 | Stefano Tempesti | 33 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Italy | 12 August 2012 | 4 years, 8 days |
| 295 | Broke record | 2016 | Stefano Tempesti (2) | 37 | 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) | Italy | 20 August 2016 | 8 years, 124 days |

### Top sprinters (one tournament)

The following table is pre-sorted by number of sprints won (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of sprints contested (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 15 May 2021.
Sprinters are usually the fastest swimmers of the water polo team. If a water polo player won an Olympic medal in swimming, he would be an outstanding sprinter.
Brad Schumacher is the latest example. He won two gold medals for the United States at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics: in the men's 4×100 meter freestyle relay and men's 4×200 meter freestyle relay. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he was the top sprinter of the men's water polo tournament, with 20 sprints won.
Since 2000, three male players have won 20 or more sprints in an Olympic water polo tournament.
Pietro Figlioli is the first and only water polo player to achieve this feat twice. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Figlioli won 24 sprints for Australia, setting the record for the most sprints won by a water polo player in a single Olympic tournament. Four years later, he won 21 sprints in Beijing.
At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Sergey Garbuzov won 20 sprints, helping Russia win bronze. He is the most efficient one among these three sprinters.
Legend and abbreviation
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
* Eff % – Efficiency (Sprints won / Sprints contested)
* 95.2% – Highest efficiency
Male players with 20 or more sprints won in an Olympic tournament (statistics since 2000) :
| Rk | Year | Sprinter | Birth | Age | Height | Sprints won | Sprints contested | Eff % | Men's team | Finish | Note |
| 1 | 2004 | Pietro Figlioli | 1984 | 20 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | 24 | 27 | 88.9% | Australia | 9th of 12 teams | |
| 2 | 2008 | Pietro Figlioli (2) | 1984 | 24 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | 21 | 23 | 91.3% | Australia | 8th of 12 teams | |
| 3 | 2000 | Brad Schumacher | 1974 | 26 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 20 | 34 | 58.8% | United States | 6th of 12 teams | 1996 – Men's 4×100m freestyle relay 1996 – Men's 4×200m freestyle relay |
| 3 | 2004 | Sergey Garbuzov | 1974 | 30 | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | 20 | 21 | 95.2% | Russia | 3rd of 12 teams | |
Source:
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 44), 2004 (p. 183), 2008 (p. 178), 2012 (p. 465), 2016 (p. 99).
The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of sprints contested (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 15 May 2021.
At the 2000 Olympics, Brad Schumacher won 20 sprints for the United States, becoming the top sprinter of the tournament.
Pietro Figlioli was the top sprinter in 2004 and 2008, representing Australia. He was a member of the Italy men's national team that competed at the 2012 London Olympics. He was the joint top sprinter in 2012.
Rhys Howden of Australia was another joint top sprinter in 2012. He was also the top sprinter at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Legend and abbreviation
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
* Eff % – Efficiency (Sprints won / Sprints contested)
Male players with the most sprints won in each Olympic tournament (statistics since 2000) :
| Year | Sprinter | Birth | Age | Height | Sprints won | Sprints contested | Eff % | Men's team | Finish | Note |
| 2000 | Brad Schumacher | 1974 | 26 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 20 | 34 | 58.8% | United States | 6th of 12 teams | 1996 – Men's 4×100m freestyle relay 1996 – Men's 4×200m freestyle relay |
| 2004 | Pietro Figlioli | 1984 | 20 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | 24 | 27 | 88.9% | Australia | 9th of 12 teams | |
| 2008 | Pietro Figlioli (2) | 1984 | 24 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | 21 | 23 | 91.3% | Australia | 8th of 12 teams | |
| 2012 | Pietro Figlioli (3) | 1984 | 28 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | 19 | 21 | 90.5% | Italy | 2nd of 12 teams | |
| 2012 | Rhys Howden | 1987 | 25 | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | 19 | 24 | 79.2% | Australia | 7th of 12 teams | |
| 2016 | Rhys Howden (2) | 1987 | 29 | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | 18 | 19 | 94.7% | Australia | 9th of 12 teams | |
Source:
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 44), 2004 (p. 183), 2008 (p. 178), 2012 (p. 465), 2016 (p. 99).
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of sprints won by a male water polo player in a single Olympic tournament since 2000. Last updated: 15 May 2021.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records: Most sprints won by a male player, one tournament (statistics since 2000) :
| Sprints won | Achievement | Year | Sprinter | Age | Height | Men's team | Date | Duration of record | Ref |
| 20 | Set record | 2000 | Brad Schumacher | 26 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | United States | 1 October 2000 | 3 years, 333 days | |
| 24 | Broke record | 2004 | Pietro Figlioli | 20 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Australia | 29 August 2004 | 20 years, 115 days | |

### Top sprinters (all-time)

The following table is pre-sorted by number of total sprints won (in descending order), number of total sprints contested (in ascending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 15 May 2021.
Pietro Figlioli holds the record for the most sprints won by a water polo player at the Olympics since 2000, with 78 sprints won at four Olympics (2004–2016).
Australian Rhys Howden won 42 sprints in three Olympic tournaments between 2008 and 2016.
Aleksandar Ćirić, representing FR Yugoslavia in 2000, Serbia and Montenegro in 2004, and Serbia in 2008, won 40 sprints at three Olympics.
Legend and abbreviation
* – Hosts
* Eff % – Efficiency (Sprints won / Sprints contested)
All-time male players with 30 or more sprints won at the Olympics (statistics since 2000) :
| Rk | Sprinter | Birth | Height | Men's team | Total Sprints won | Total Sprints contested | Eff % | Water polo tournaments (sprints won / contested) | Water polo tournaments (sprints won / contested) | Water polo tournaments (sprints won / contested) | Water polo tournaments (sprints won / contested) | Water polo tournaments (sprints won / contested) | Period (age of first/last) | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | Ref |
| Rk | Sprinter | Birth | Height | Men's team | Total Sprints won | Total Sprints contested | Eff % | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Period (age of first/last) | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| 1 | Pietro Figlioli | 1984 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Australia | 78 | 86 | 90.7% | 2004 (24/27) | 2008 (21/23) | | | | 12 years (20/32) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1 | Pietro Figlioli | 1984 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Italy | 78 | 86 | 90.7% | | | 2012 (19/21) | 2016 (14/15) | | 12 years (20/32) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2 | Rhys Howden | 1987 | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | Australia | 42 | 49 | 85.7% | 2008 (5/6) | 2012 (19/24) | 2016 (18/19) | | | 8 years (21/29) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Aleksandar Ćirić | 1977 | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | Yugoslavia | 40 | 56 | 71.4% | 2000 (17/24) | | | | | 8 years (22/30) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Aleksandar Ćirić | 1977 | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | Serbia and Montenegro | 40 | 56 | 71.4% | | 2004 (14/20) | | | | 8 years (22/30) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Aleksandar Ćirić | 1977 | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | Serbia | 40 | 56 | 71.4% | | | 2008 (9/12) | | | 8 years (22/30) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Tamás Kásás | 1976 | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | Hungary | 39 | 59 | 66.1% | 1996 (N/A) | 2000 (15/29) | 2004 (7/9) | 2008 (10/12) | 2012 (7/9) | 16 years (20/36) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
Source:
* Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 44), 2004 (p. 183), 2008 (p. 178), 2012 (p. 465), 2016 (p. 99).
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of total sprints won by a male water polo player at the Summer Olympics since 2000. Last updated: 15 May 2021.
Legend
* Team – Host team
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records: Most sprints won by a male player, all-time (statistics since 2000) :
| Total Sprints won | Achievement | Year | Sprinter | Age | Height | Men's team | Date | Duration of record |
| 31 | Set record | 2004 | Aleksandar Ćirić | 26 | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | Serbia and Montenegro | 29 August 2004 | 3 years, 361 days |
| 45 | Broke record | 2008 | Pietro Figlioli | 24 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Australia | 24 August 2008 | 3 years, 354 days |
| 64 | Broke record | 2012 | Pietro Figlioli | 28 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Australia | 12 August 2012 | 4 years, 8 days |
| 78 | Broke record | 2016 | Pietro Figlioli | 32 | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | Italy | 20 August 2016 | 8 years, 124 days |

### All-star teams by tournament

This is a summary of men's Olympic all-star teams by tournament. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend and abbreviation
* Player$^‡$ – Player who won the tournament with his team
* LH – Left-handed
* Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Men's Olympic all-star teams by tournament (since 2004) :
| Year | Most Valuable Player | All-star team | All-star team | All-star team | Ref |
| 2004 | Hungary Gergely Kiss$^‡$ Right side player (LH) 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Goalkeeper | Denis Šefik (60 saves, 58.8%) | Denis Šefik (60 saves, 58.8%) | |
| 2004 | Hungary Gergely Kiss$^‡$ Right side player (LH) 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Field players | Theodoros Chatzitheodorou (8 goals) | Revaz Chomakhidze (15 goals) | |
| 2004 | Hungary Gergely Kiss$^‡$ Right side player (LH) 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Field players | Tamás Kásás$^‡$ (14 goals, 7 sprints won) | Gergely Kiss$^‡$ (LH, 14 goals) | |
| 2004 | Hungary Gergely Kiss$^‡$ Right side player (LH) 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Field players | Aleksandar Šapić (18 goals) | Vladimir Vujasinović (3 goals) | |
| 2008 | — | Goalkeeper | Merrill Moses (70 saves, 59.8%) | Merrill Moses (70 saves, 59.8%) | |
| 2008 | — | Field players | Tony Azevedo (17 goals, 2 sprints won) | Péter Biros$^‡$ (13 goals, 3 sprints won) | |
| 2008 | — | Field players | Alessandro Calcaterra (27 goals) | Mlađan Janović (13 goals, 5 sprints won) | |
| 2008 | — | Field players | Felipe Perrone (16 goals) | Dániel Varga$^‡$ (8 goals) | |
| 2012 | Croatia Josip Pavić$^‡$ Goalkeeper 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Goalkeeper | Josip Pavić$^‡$ (85 saves, 70.2%) | Josip Pavić$^‡$ (85 saves, 70.2%) | [108] [109] |
| 2012 | Croatia Josip Pavić$^‡$ Goalkeeper 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Field players | Nikša Dobud$^‡$ (12 goals) | Maurizio Felugo (12 goals) | [108] [109] |
| 2012 | Croatia Josip Pavić$^‡$ Goalkeeper 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Field players | Filip Filipović (LH, 18 goals, 2 sprints won) | Aleksandar Ivović (19 goals) | [108] [109] |
| 2012 | Croatia Josip Pavić$^‡$ Goalkeeper 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | Field players | Felipe Perrone (16 goals) | Andrija Prlainović (22 goals) | [108] [109] |
| 2016 | Serbia Filip Filipović$^‡$ Right side player (LH) 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Goalkeeper | Marko Bijač (57 saves, 58.2%) | Marko Bijač (57 saves, 58.2%) | |
| 2016 | Serbia Filip Filipović$^‡$ Right side player (LH) 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Field players | Darko Brguljan (15 goals) | Filip Filipović$^‡$ (LH, 19 goals) | |
| 2016 | Serbia Filip Filipović$^‡$ Right side player (LH) 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Field players | Guillermo Molina (19 goals, 1 sprints won) | Slobodan Nikić$^‡$ (10 goals) | |
| 2016 | Serbia Filip Filipović$^‡$ Right side player (LH) 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | Field players | Christian Presciutti (14 goals) | Sandro Sukno (17 goals, 3 sprints won) | |
| Year | Most Valuable Player | All-star team | All-star team | All-star team | Ref |

### Olympic champion families
## Coach statistics
### Most successful coaches

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of winning the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the coach (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 March 2021.
There are four coaches who led men's national water polo teams to win three or more Olympic medals.
Ratko Rudić is the most successful water polo coach in Olympic history. As a head coach, he led three men's national water polo teams to win four Olympic gold medals and one Olympic bronze medal. He guided Yugoslavia men's national team to two consecutive gold medals in 1984 and 1988, Italy men's national team to a gold medal in 1992 and a bronze medal in 1996, and Croatia men's national team to a gold medal in 2012, making him the first and only coach to lead three different men's national water polo teams to the Olympic titles.
Dénes Kemény of Hungary is another coach who led men's national water polo team(s) to win three Olympic gold medals. Under his leadership, the Hungary men's national team won three gold in a row between 2000 and 2008, becoming the second water polo team to have an Olympic winning streak.
Dezső Gyarmati coached the Hungary men's national team to three consecutive Olympic medals, a silver in 1972, a gold in 1976, and a bronze in 1980.
Boris Popov led the Soviet Union men's national team to win an Olympic gold medal in 1980 and a bronze medal in 1988. Four years later, he coached the Unified Team to another bronze medal.
Legend
* – Hosts
Head coaches who led men's national teams to win three or more Olympic medals :
| Rk | Head coach | Nationality | Birth | Age | Men's team | Tournaments (finish) | Tournaments (finish) | Tournaments (finish) | Tournaments (finish) | Tournaments (finish) | Tournaments (finish) | Tournaments (finish) | Tournaments (finish) | Tournaments (finish) | Period | Medals | Medals | Medals | Medals | Ref |
| Rk | Head coach | Nationality | Birth | Age | Men's team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Period | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| 1 | Ratko Rudić | Yugoslavia | 1948 | 36–40 | Yugoslavia | 1984 (1st) | 1988 (1st) | | | | | | | | 32 years | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | [117] [112] [113] |
| 1 | Ratko Rudić | Croatia | 1948 | 44–52 | Italy | | | 1992 (1st) | 1996 (3rd) | 2000 (5th) | | | | | 32 years | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | [117] [112] [113] |
| 1 | Ratko Rudić | Croatia | 1948 | 56 | United States | | | | | | 2004 (7th) | | | | 32 years | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | [117] [112] [113] |
| 1 | Ratko Rudić | Croatia | 1948 | 60–64 | Croatia | | | | | | | 2008 (6th) | 2012 (1st) | | 32 years | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | [117] [112] [113] |
| 1 | Ratko Rudić | Croatia | 1948 | 68 | Brazil | | | | | | | | | 2016 (8th) | 32 years | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | [117] [112] [113] |
| 2 | Dénes Kemény | Hungary | 1954 | 46–58 | Hungary | 2000 (1st) | 2004 (1st) | 2008 (1st) | 2012 (5th) | | | | | | 12 years | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Dezső Gyarmati | Hungary | 1927 | 44–52 | Hungary | 1972 (2nd) | 1976 (1st) | 1980 (3rd) | | | | | | | 8 years | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [14] [115] |
| 4 | Boris Popov | Soviet Union | 1941 | 39, 47 | Soviet Union | 1980 (1st) | | 1988 (3rd) | | | | | | | 12 years | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | [118] [116] |
| 4 | Boris Popov | Russia | 1941 | 51 | Unified Team | | | | 1992 (3rd) | | | | | | 12 years | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | [118] [116] |

### Medals as coach and player

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of winning the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the person (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 May 2021.
Twelve water polo players won Olympic medals and then guided men's national water polo teams to the Olympic podium as head coaches.
Dezső Gyarmati of Hungary won five Olympic medals in a row between 1948 and 1964. He coached the Hungary men's national team to three consecutive Olympic medals, including a gold in 1976, making him the only man to win Olympic gold in water polo as player and head coach in the last 100 years.
Ivo Trumbić won the silver medal in 1964 and Yugoslavia's first Olympic gold medal in water polo in 1968. He moved to the Netherlands in 1973, hired as the head coach of the Netherlands men's national team. At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, he led the Dutch team to win a bronze medal.
Vladimir Semyonov, representing the Soviet Union, won three Olympic medals in a row between 1960 and 1968. As a head coach, he led the Soviet Union men's national water polo team to win an Olympic gold medal in 1972.
Soviet Boris Popov won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. He guided the Soviet Union men's national team to two Olympic medals in 1980 and 1988, and the Unified Team to a bronze medal in 1992.
Aleksandr Kabanov of the Soviet Union won a gold at the Munich Olympics in 1972, coached by Vladimir Semyonov. Eight years later, he won the second gold medal at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, coached by Boris Popov. As a head coach, he led Russia men's national team to win two consecutive medals in 2000 and 2004.
Ratko Rudić won a silver medal for Yugoslavia at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Upon retirement as an athlete, he immediately entered the coaching ranks. During his career, Rudić guided three different men's national teams to five Olympic medals, more than any other coaches.
Terry Schroeder of the United States won two consecutive silver medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Twenty years later, he coached the United States men's national team to a silver in 2008, becoming the first and only non-European to achieve this feat.
Italian Alessandro Campagna won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, coached by Ratko Rudić. As a head coach, he led Italy men's national team to win two medals in 2012 and 2016.
Dejan Savić won three consecutive Olympic medals between 2000 and 2008. At the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, he coached Serbia men's national team to the Olympic title.
Legend
* Year$^*$ – As host team
| Rk | Person | Birth | Height | Player | Player | Player | Player | Head coach | Head coach | Head coach | Total medals | Total medals | Total medals | Total medals | Ref |
| Rk | Person | Birth | Height | Age | Men's team | Pos | Medal | Age | Men's team | Medal | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| 1 | Dezső Gyarmati | 1927 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 20–36 | Hungary | FP | 1948 , 1952 , 1956 , 1960 , 1964 | 44–52 | Hungary | 1972 , 1976 , 1980 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | [14] [115] |
| 2 | Ratko Rudić | 1948 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 32 | Yugoslavia | FP | 1980 | 36–40 | Yugoslavia | 1984 , 1988 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | [117] [112] [113] |
| 2 | Ratko Rudić | 1948 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 32 | Yugoslavia | FP | 1980 | 44–48 | Italy | 1992 , 1996 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | [117] [112] [113] |
| 2 | Ratko Rudić | 1948 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 32 | Yugoslavia | FP | 1980 | 64 | Croatia | 2012 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | [117] [112] [113] |
| 3 | Dejan Savić | 1975 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 25 | Yugoslavia | FP | 2000 | 41–46 | Serbia | 2016 , 2020 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| 3 | Dejan Savić | 1975 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 29 | Serbia and Montenegro | FP | 2004 | 41–46 | Serbia | 2016 , 2020 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| 3 | Dejan Savić | 1975 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 33 | Serbia | FP | 2008 | 41–46 | Serbia | 2016 , 2020 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
| 4 | Aleksandr Kabanov | 1948 | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 24, 32 | Soviet Union | FP | 1972 , 1980$^*$ | 52–56 | Russia | 2000 , 2004 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | [122] [123] |
| 5 | Vladimir Semyonov | 1938 | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | 22–30 | Soviet Union | FP | 1960 , 1964 , 1968 | 34 | Soviet Union | 1972 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 6 | Boris Popov | 1941 | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 23 | Soviet Union | FP | 1964 | 39, 47 | Soviet Union | 1980$^*$ , 1988 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | [118] [116] |
| 6 | Boris Popov | 1941 | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | 23 | Soviet Union | FP | 1964 | 51 | Unified Team | 1992 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | [118] [116] |
| 7 | Dezső Lemhényi | 1917 | | 30–34 | Hungary | FP | 1948 , 1952 | 42 | Hungary | 1960 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [129] [130] |
| 7 | Ivo Trumbić | 1935 | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | 29–33 | Yugoslavia | FP | 1964 , 1968 | 41 | Netherlands | 1976 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [119] [120] |
| 7 | Alessandro Campagna | 1963 | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 29 | Italy | FP | 1992 | 49–53 | Italy | 2012 , 2016 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [126] [127] |
| 10 | Terry Schroeder | 1958 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 25–29 | United States | FP | 1984$^*$ , 1988 | 49 | United States | 2008 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | [124] [125] |
| 11 | Gianni Lonzi | 1938 | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 22 | Italy | FP | 1960$^*$ | 37 | Italy | 1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [131] [132] |
| 12 | Mario Majoni | 1910 | | 38 | Italy | FP | 1948$^*$ | 42 | Italy | 1952 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | [133] [134] |
| Rk | Person | Birth | Height | Age | Men's team | Pos | Medal | Age | Men's team | Medal | G | S | B | T | Ref |
| Rk | Person | Birth | Height | Player | Player | Player | Player | Head coach | Head coach | Head coach | Total medals | Total medals | Total medals | Total medals | | Ref |