Countdown to the Australia vs USA Test Match Series

Published Tue 07 Jan 2020

With just under 200 days to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Australian men’s and women’s water polo teams will kick their Olympic preparations into the next gear hosting the USA in Brisbane next week.

Brisbane Aquatic Centre will host the three international test matches on 14, 16 and 18 January 2020 which will headline the KAP7 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

The USA Women’s team are the reigning Olympic champions and the ones to beat come July, currently holding all four major international crowns.

The men’s competition is expected to deliver another close contest, with the Aussies out for redemption after going down by one goal the last time these two sides met at the FINA World Championships in July 2019.

It will be the final chance for fans to see the Aussie Stingers and Aussies Sharks in action before the Olympic Games, as both squads will compete overseas in the build up to Tokyo.

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Aussie Stingers Captain Rowie Webster, said there is no better way to kick off an Olympic year then with quality international competition at home.

“200 days to go until the Olympic Games and you can really start to feel the excitement among the squads and what better way to start the Olympic year then by hosting USA on home soil.

“To have these international test matches as part of the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships is fantastic as we can showcase to the next generation our great game,” she said.

The USA Women’s team is ranked number one in the world, but Webster said they won’t be too focused on that next week.

“These test matches will be an important step for us in the build up to Tokyo 2020. The USA women’s are the best team in the world, but when it comes to facing them, we’ll be approaching it how we do every international match.

“The key for us will be to focus on what we need to do, not the opposition. We need to look at the tactics we want to play and control our game.”

The strong history between these two sides, who played in the gold medal match during women’s water polo’s Olympic debut at Sydney 2000, is something Webster said is not lost on this generation.

“We have some of the players from the Sydney 2000 team coming along to watch in Brisbane which will be really special.

“The culture those women created and legacy they have left, certainly won’t be lost on us during tournament as we take on SUA 20 years after women’s water polo got it start at the Olympics,” said Webster.

The Australia/USA Test Series will be held as part of the KAP7 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships which will be held in Brisbane from 11-23 January, featuring more than 3,000 competitors from 185 teams across Australia.