Water polo players are travellers and their allegiances sometimes shift, as well. Here is a quick look at the athletes competing at Paris 2024 who have come from other countries to ply their trade.
Men
Australia
Milos Maksimovic is a Serbian who travelled to Australia to play in the national league and was snapped up by the national programme after he shifted to Australia in 2022, making his debut in 2023. He is Australia’s leading scorer in Paris. He won bronze with Serbia at the 2013 world junior championships in Szombathely, Hungary.
Jacob Mercep hails from Croatia and became eligible for the Aussie Sharks after arriving in the country in 2022. The former Croatian junior player has a wicked left arm.
Croatia
Matias Biljaka (left) has his origins in Vienna, Austria and made his debut for Croatia at the European championships of 2022.
Konstantin Kharkov saw that it was greener on the other side when Russia failed to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, flying to Croatia where he has settled in well to the national side, scoring a plethora of goals.
Italy
Gonzalo Echenique is an unusual character in that he has represented three countries. Born in Argentina he represented his birth country at the Pan American Games in 2007 and 2011. He moved to Barcelona, Spain in January 2010 after Spanish player and two-time Olympic medallist Daniel Ballart helped him secure a move to CN Montjuic. He also had spells with Sabadell and Barceloneta in Spain before being granted Spanish citizenship in 2015. In 2016, he began representing the Spanish national team and made his Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro. In 2017, he moved to Italy to play for Pro Recco and made the switch to represent Italy after being granted citizenship due to his grandmother coming from Catania.
Serbia
Dusan Mandic (main picture) was born in Montenegro. Played for Montenegro's junior team until age 16, when he decided to represent Serbia at the senior level.
Nemanja Vico was also born in Montenegro. He moved from Montenegro to Serbia in 2012 and joined the national team
Spain
Martin Famera was born in Czechia. He represented Slovakia through 2016, before making the switch to represent Spain. He has lived in Spain since 2015 and was allowed to start representing that country as of January 2020.
Felipe Perrone, who is play his fifth Olympic Games, is a different kettle of fish. Born in Brazil, he represented his country of birth at the world championships and Pan American Games. After moving to Spain to play for CN Barcelona, in 2005 he switched allegiances and represented Spain at several world championships and the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. In late 2013, he decided to return to compete for Brazil with the goal of competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. In 2018, he returned to the Spanish national team.
Women
Australia
Danijela Jackovich was born in the USA and now plays for Cronulla Sharks in Sydney, making the national team for the first time at Doha 2024. She was a gold medallist at the 2017 University Games with the USA.
Canada
Goalkeeper Clara Vulpisi was born in Romania and shifted to Canada when she was three years old. Made her Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Marilia Mimides was born in Greece but her mother is Canadian. Studied in the USA and plays in Montreal. Represented Canada for the first time in Fukuoka last year.
France
Camille Radosavljevic was born in Zurich, Switzerland and played the Budapest and Fukuoka world championships with France while missing Doha 2024 because of a thumb injury. Currently studying business at the University of Hawaii.
Mia Rycraw (above) hails from United States of America and filled a void in the goalkeeping department. She travelled to France to study at the Lille Catholic University where she joined the water polo team. Made her debut with the national team in the World League of 2017.
Hungary
Geraldine Mahieu was born in France and switched allegiance to Hungary. After several years playing for Dunaujvarosi FVE, she took Hungarian citizenship at the end of 2021 because she felt it would be better for her career as an athlete. Began representing her new country in 2022.
Centre forward Rebecca Parkes (above) comes from New Zealand and saw her future in the game playing for a powerhouse. She was willingly accepted and plays a major role in the team. She moved to Hungary in 2014 to compete for Egri VK in Eger. Became a Hungarian citizen in 2016.
Dorottya Szilagyi was born in Hungary but followed her coaching father to South Africa, New Zealand and Western Australia — playing for Australia at under-16 level. She returned to Hungary as an adult and quickly found a berth in the national team, competing at the 2017 world championships in Budapest.
What about the coaches?
There are some foreigners working abroad.
Women
France —Greek Olympian Theodoros Lorantos, who took the Greek junior team to two world titles, took over the French job last year.
Netherlands — former Greek international Evangelos Doudesis has been in control of the team for some years.
Men
USA — Dejan Udovicic (above), former Serbian head coach from 2006 and took over the USA reins in 2013. As Serbia coach he won one world and two European titles and bronze at the 2008 Olympics. He also won five World Leagues and two World Cups in an impressive coaching career. With USA he has won two Pan American crowns and a World League silver medal.