Team Canada has qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in women’s water polo. Despite losing an Olympic qualifying game to Italy 18-12 on Friday, Canada qualified because South Africa withdrew their participation. There is no reason at this time why South Africa has withdrawn from the Olympic Games, however according to CBC Sports, there will be more details in the future.
Canada finished in eighth place in the women’s water polo tournament at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar. They got the last qualification berth despite having a losing record at the World Championships of three wins and four losses. One of those wins came against South Africa, as Canada won handily 24-2.
In all, 10 teams are in the Olympic Games in women’s water polo. Canada is joined by France, the Netherlands, Spain, Australia, China, the United States, Greece, Hungary, and Italy.
South Africa did not withdraw their participation from the Olympic Games in the men’s tournament, only the women’s play. At the 2024 World Aquatics Championship in Doha, South Africa lost all three games in men’s action by a combined total score of 79-18. On the women’s side, South Africa lost their three games by a combined total score of 63-10.
The International Olympic Committee needs to be questioned why a team from Africa got an automatic berth at the Olympic Games in water polo to begin with. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, South Africa lost all four games by a combined score of 97-7 in women’s play, and all five games by a combined score of 116-20 in men’s play.
