Fifty years ago, in the former Yugoslavia, 686 swimmers, divers, and water polo players from 47 nations gathered in Belgrade to compete in the first aquatics world championships. At the 20th edition this year in Fukuoka, one competitor from the 1973 event shared his memories.
When Andy Hoepelman flew from the Netherlands to the inaugural aquatics world championships in Belgrade in 1973, he was a very fast 18-year-old water polo player.
“It was exciting for me,” he said, “because it's the first tournament where we went together with swimmers and people from artistic swimming.”
The same could be said for the Olympics, of course, but FINA initiated the world championships to give aquatic athletes a chance at glory between the Games.
American breaststroke Olympian Rick Colella, told The New York Times at the time, “It’s good for the people who just hit their peak in the wrong year.” Colella did not win a medal at the 1972 Munich Games but earned bronze in Montreal four years – and two world championships – later.
Hoepelman and the Dutch water polo team also won a bronze medal in Montreal.
“It helped that we played important games against top teams” in such a big tournament, he said. “Before that, there had only been some six- or eight-nation tournaments and European championships.”
And yet, even as a teenager, Hoepelman could see that the world championships would have a long future.
“Because it was normal,” he said. “Other sports had world championships as well.”
But the norm has changed quite a bit in 50 years.
At the 1973 world championships, “Cuba was very good in water polo. Romania was very good. Mexico was there. They were much stronger than they are now,” he recalled. Cuba, Romania, and Mexico placed sixth, seventh, and ninth, ahead of both Spain and Greece which are super-powers today.
Technology and apparel were different, too.
When there was a goal, Hoepelman said, someone would change the scoreboard by hand.
The Speedos were bigger, and, since he was Dutch, Hoepelman said, “we had Speedos with tulips. I remember this because I saw one of my teammates from that time still wearing this suit. Mine is gone for ages.
“We had caps, but the ears were open,” he added. “Australia was the first team to have ear protectors. I bought a cap from an Australian player and the first time I played in it, people asked, ‘What is this?’ I said, ‘secret transmitter’ to the coach.’
Despite the differences, hometown fans were just as ardent as they are today.
“I remember lots of noise: people shouting and whistling,” he said. “This was new to me. All the Yugoslavia water polo games were completely sold out – even the games which were not so important were full.
And, remarkably, the 1973 Belgrade water polo still exists. In fact, it is thriving.
“I remember that pool, Tasmajdan” Heopelman said. “ I was there a year ago. It was a summer day and it was completely full.”
Hoepelmen looked it up on his phone as he was speaking, then flashed a picture. “This was the indoor pool this outdoor pool and here we're all stands. It was more primitive then. Our hotel was 500 meters from the pool,” he recalled.
On the 50th anniversary of the first world championships, Hoepelman was given a chance to predict what the program 50 years from now might include.
“I’m an enormous proponent of beach water polo,” he said. “You can play in the sea, in lakes, in rivers. You need fewer players. We recently had a water polo Beach Games qualifier in Egypt. It was a big success. Egypt was in the final, and lost to Montenegro in a penalty shootout. It was more inclusive. Beach water polo is growing very, very fast – much faster than regular water polo. So I think that that will have a place.
“I think it would be good to have water polo qualification for the final phase in different cities. We can play at peak times where everyone can watch it. We did it last year at the World Championships. The Hungarian team played in Budapest, but the other teams played in different cities and it was a big success.
“I cannot speak for other disciplines in the world aquatic,” he said, “but the future is for sports which are attractive, fast, short duration and appealing to the youth. So I predict that it should be more of a festival, a family event – like you see in all sports, with disc jockeys, drinks… it’s an event!