List of Olympic champions in men's water polo

This is a list of Olympic champions in men's water polo since the inaugural official edition in 1900.

Men's water polo tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1900.

Men's water polo was among the first team sports introduced at the modern Olympic Games in 1900.

[1] Seven European teams from four countries, including four from the host nation France, took part in the competition.

[2] At the 1904 Summer Olympics, a water polo tournament was contested, three club teams of seven players each entered.

[3] A German team tried to enter, but its entry was refused because the players did not play for the same club.

[4] The event took place in a pond in Forest Park, the location of both the Olympics and the World's Fair.

[1] As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, men's water polo teams from ten European countries won all 27 official tournaments.

[3] From 1908 to 1920, the Great Britain men's national water polo team won three consecutive gold medals at the Olympics, becoming the first team to have an Olympic winning streak in water polo.

Italy and Yugoslavia have both won three Olympic titles in men's water polo tournament.

Legend The following table shows results of Olympic champions in men's water polo by tournament.

Legend Abbreviation Sources: 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.

The following table shows number of players and average age, height and weight of Olympic champions in men's water polo by tournament.

Legend Sources: The following tables show records of the number of returning Olympians.

Legend The following tables show the oldest and youngest male Olympic champions in water polo.

Ten male athletes won three Olympic gold medals in water polo.

Legend Forty-one male athletes won two Olympic gold medals in water polo.

There are four coaches who led men's national water polo teams to win two or more Olympic gold 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.

[31][32] Dénes Kemény of Hungary is another coach who led men's national water polo team(s) to win three Olympic gold medals.

[33] Béla Rajki coached the Hungary men's national team to two consecutive Olympic gold medals in 1952 and 1956.

[34] Dejan Savić led Serbia men's national team to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2016 and 2021.

Only one water polo player won an Olympic gold medal and then guided a men's national water polo team to the Olympic title as a head coach.

As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, there are six head coaches who led men's national teams to win gold medals in water polo at the Summer Olympics and the World Aquatics Championships.