AUSTRALIAN WATER POLO TEAMS NAMED FOR 2022 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Published Mon 30 May 2022

Water Polo Australia (WPA) is pleased to confirm the Australian Men’s and Women’s teams for the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest from June 18 to July 3.

The FINA World Championships will give the new look Aussie Sharks and Stingers squads the chance to match it with the best of the best as they continue to build towards the 2024 Olympic Games.

WPA General Manager - Performance Charles Turner said he is excited to announce the athletes that will represent Australia in Budapest in three weeks time.

“It is always a tremendous honour to represent your country, and extra special to be able to do so at a World Championships,” Turner said.

“This World Championships forms a crucial part of our preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games, and I am pleased with the teams we have been able to assemble.

“Under the guidance of our new National Head Coaches Paul Oberman and Tim Hamill, I have full faith that both teams will represent Australia with pride.

“I wish Paul, Tim and the athletes the best of luck with the upcoming campaign, and I look forward to seeing them in action on the world stage,” he said.

Dual Olympian Zoe Arancini will captain the 13-strong Aussie Stingers team which will look to continue their strong form from the recent FINA World League Intercontinental Cup where they won gold.

“For most of the girls it’s been two years with limited international competition, so we’re really looking forward to getting back to Europe and playing at the World Championships,” Arancini said.

“There’s plenty of fresh, young faces in our team - for some of them it will be their first major competition which is always exciting.

“The World Championships is going to be our biggest competition this year and we’re all looking forward to it.

“But it’s also going to be different to most other World Championships, with the fact that the groups will be held in different cities. It’s all a new learning experience and it should be very exciting,” she said.

Tokyo Olympian Blake Edwards is honoured to have the opportunity to co-captain the Aussie Sharks team, alongside fellow Tokyo Olympian Nathan Power.

“There were some unbelievable leaders that have come before me, and I hope that I can live up to what they have produced for Australia over time,” Edwards said.

“We’ve got a really young team, who are super ambitious and bring so much energy to every training session and game.

“And I think that what we can achieve as a group is limitless, but we also have to be realistic that it is a young team that’s going away, and to take it one step at a time,” he said.