News - Water Polo Coaching Council Held
On November 12, the coaching council for water polo was held. The head coaches of the Russian national teams presented a report on the work done and plans for the further preparation of the teams.
Andrey Belofastov - head coach of the Russian men's national team:
"At the coaching council, we reported on the work done over four years - from 2021 to 2024, with special attention paid to the training camps we conducted in Turkey, Romania, China, and Serbia. A significant amount of work has been done, with the team spending a total of 153 days together in 2023 and 2024. The team has significantly rejuvenated, so there is a lot of hard work ahead. We hope that in 2025, the coaching staff will continue to work with the same energy. The Water Polo Federation pointed out certain mistakes, and there is already an understanding of how to address them. We are moving forward."
Sergey Markoch - head coach of the Russian women's national team:
"During the three-year preparation period of the national team, the following tasks were accomplished:
Improved levels of physical, technical, tactical, and psychological preparation.
Played a World League game with Italy in January 2022, winning 11-5.
Italy, after defeating the USA at the World Championship, took 3rd place.
Played 5 official games against China in 2023 and 2024, winning three and losing two.
Held friendly international matches with the national teams of Turkey, China, and clubs from Greece in Athens.
Results:
One draw with the Champions League winner "OLYMPIACOS" and 18 victories, including a win against "Olympiacos".
Matches were also played with the junior national teams of Russia.
During the three-year preparatory period, 47 candidates were evaluated, and the national team squad was significantly rejuvenated from the 47 candidates in 2022, with 19 players remaining in the extended roster who will continue their preparation for the national team in the next Olympic cycle.
We will progressively prepare for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Over 60 female athletes, with the youngest being 15 years old, are under consideration, we closely monitor their development. They are distinguished by scored goals. Goalkeepers saved penalties in the debut Russian Championship."
Preparation for the Olympic Games will be carried out in three stages:
1. Basic preparation (2025),
2. Accumulation of potential (2026-2027),
3. Realization of potential (2028).
Hopefully, in four years, we will evaluate our results based on the performances of the Russian national teams at international competitions!"
Press Service of the Water Polo Federation of Russia
