1908 London Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics - The Results (Water polo)
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- Parent Category: Summer Olympic Games
- Category: 1908 London Summer Olympics
- Last Updated: 11 February 2019
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Water polo at the 1908 London Summer Games
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Host City: London, Great Britain Participants: 28 (28 men and 0 women) from 4 countries |
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OverviewWater polo had been contested at both the 1900 and 1904 Olympics. Six teams entered, but Austria and Hungary withdrew, leaving four teams to contest the medals. The British team was a true representative side, with players from four different swim clubs. They eventually won the gold medal, although because of the draw, and the Austrian withdrawal, they had only to play one match, defeating Belgium in the final, 9-2. The matches were held in swimming pool on the infield of the huge [White City Stadium] in Shepherd's Bush, the main Olympic Stadium in 1908. SummaryThe withdrawal of Hungary and Austria reduced the number of competing teams to four. After beating the Netherlands (8-1) and Sweden (8-4), Belgium met Great Britain in the final. Having drawn a bye in the first round and having received a walk-over against Austria in the semi-final, the final was the only match that Great Britain was called on to play during the tournament. In the final, Britain scored the first four goals and led at the half by 5-2. They scored four goals in the second half and shut out Belgium to win, 9-2. The final was a re-match of the 1900 Olympic final, also won by Great Britain over Belgium. Britain's leading goal scorer, George Wilkinson, had played on the winning team in 1900 and for the Belgians, Fernand Feyaerts and Oscar Grégoire had also played in the 1900 final. Whereas in 1900, the British team had all hailed from Manchester, representing the Osborne Swimming Club, the 1908 team was a true conglomerate. Three of the players were from the Salford Swim Club, two from Weston-Super-Mare Swim Club, and one each from Hyde Seal Swim Club and Inverness Swim Club. |
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Medal table
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Medal summary
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Standings
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Harald Julin (18 years, 110 days) 
Oscar Grégoire (31 years, 110 days) 
Great Britain
Belgium
Sweden
Netherlands
FinalGreat Britain's first match was against Belgium, who had already won two games in the tournament.
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SemifinalsAustria withdrew before the tournament started, leaving Great Britain with a second bye.
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First roundThere was only one first round match scheduled. Great Britain, Sweden, and Austria (the last of which had withdrawn) were scheduled to have byes, while Belgium played the Netherlands.
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StatisticsScoring11 players scored during the three games of the tournament, including 5 of Belgium's poloists. The Belgian captain's 8 goals led the field, and he also gained the distinctions of having scored in each of the three games as well as the single-game high goal count at 6.
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Team rosters |
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Belgium
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Great Britain
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Netherlands
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Sweden
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