June 5 2014 DUBAI UAE With the Super Final of the Men’s Water Polo World League just over a week away, defending champions Serbia are shaping up as hot favourites to take the prestigious title for the eighth time when the competition kicks off at the Hamdan Sports Complex on 16 June.
Serbia has long been a dominant player in world water polo, having amassed numerous titles and accolades including Olympic Gold and World Championships crowns over the years. Originally tasting success in world water polo as part of Yugoslavia, then Serbia and Montenegro, Serbia began competing as an independent nation in June 2006. Since their independence they have continued to perform at the highest level, taking Olympic bronze in 2008 and 2012, World Championships gold in 2009 and silver in 2011, World Cup gold in 2010, and five World League titles in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
With most of the members of the 2012 Olympic bronze medal winning team and the 2013 World Championship team in the line-up for Dubai, Serbia will again be a force to be reckoned with.
The team is coached by former international Dejan Savic who brings to the role an impressive pedigree having played an incredible 444 matches with the national team, in which he scored 405 goals. In his spectacular playing career, Savic was part of the team which won the World Championship in 2005, the European Championship three times and the Olympic silver medal (2004) and bronze medal (2000 and 2008). He was also part of the Serbia and Montenegro and later Serbian teams who have dominated the World League.
After taking over the reigns in January 2013, Savic had a brilliant start to his coaching career with Serbia winning the 2013 Super Final just a few weeks into his tenure. However the team failed to live up to expectations at the 2013 FINA World Championships, finishing in 7th place, a result which has spurred the team on to reclaim their position at the top of world water polo.
The Serbian team demonstrated this drive with a convincing performance in the European play-off rounds for the 2014 Super Final, easily accounting for Russia and Romania in group one with four easy victories. The team will now meet the USA in a 4 game series ahead of the Super Final. USA won last week’s Intercontinental Tournament, (the qualifying event for teams from Asia, the Americas Africa and Oceania for the Super Final) and the series should be an interesting match-up as USA is now coached by Dejan Udovicic, the former Serbian coach.
Serbia may well arrive in Dubai as favourites, however they will still have to produce their best to make it to the gold medal match. The pools are seeded and Serbia will face Montenegro, Brazil and China, meeting their adversaries Montenegro on June 17 at 5.10 in a match which is sure to be pivotal in the final result. Group B will see USA, Canada, Australia and Hungary fight it out for a place in the finals.
“It will be exciting to see Serbia in action here in Dubai next week, they are one of the very best teams in the world and are sure to put on a great display of top class water polo” said Dr Ahmad Al Sharif, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council. “The program promises fantastic competition every day so we hope all sports fans in Dubai come out to see the best water polo competition in the world this year.”
Ahmed Al Falasi, President of the UAE Swimming Federation and Organising Committee Chairman, said “We have some great matches over the six days, and with eight countries from across the world competing I encourage everyone to come out to support their favourite team and enjoy some great water polo action.”
The World Water Polo League is the global annual competition for water polo and one of the most prestigious and sought after titles in the sport, after the Olympic Games and World Championships. The World League began in 2002 and is the water polo equivalent to the Swimming World Cup and Diving World Series, which have been hosted in Dubai since 2011. The Super Final winner will take home the US$100,000 winner’s cheque along with the title of World League winner for 2014.
The competition runs from 16-21 June, with matches each day at 2.30, 3.50, 5.10 and 6.30. Further information about the event and the match schedule can be found on Facebook – FINA Water Polo World League – Dubai.
This is an unedited press release from Promoseven Sports Marketing.