- The Australian water polo team was announced on Tuesday.
- Olympics boss Matt Carroll destroyed his pronunciation of the names.
- Aussie Sharks hope to win surprise gold in Paris
The Australian water polo team for the Olympics was announced on Tuesday, although boss Matt Carroll struggled to read the lucky stars arriving in Paris.
The 13-man team, consisting of 10 debutants, was named in a unique location, with team members standing under a shark tank as Carroll recounted the list to the media.
Some players were not present, and Australian Olympic Committee chief Carroll made sure to make a special mention of those absent stars.
But it didn’t go as planned and the administrator needed the help of coach Tim Hamill.
“A special mention to our Aussie Sharks who are not here today and currently playing in Croatia,” he began.
Australian Olympic boss Matt Carroll trashes water polo team announcement
The 13-man team for Paris was named on Tuesday at the Sydney Aquarium
‘Jacob…’ followed by a long pause. “Mercep and Marcus… Berehulak.”
Hamill, eager to help Carroll get the pronunciation right, repeated ‘Berehulak’ correctly.
Carroll continued: ‘And in Spain, Nic Por… Porter and Jon Hedges.
“And also Luke…Pavillard.”
Australia has little chance of winning gold this summer, with the sport’s powerhouses Croatia and Spain the favorites to top the podium.
Co-captain Nathan Power said the team has two months of intense training ahead.
‘Right now the focus is on the hard work we still have to do between now and Paris.
Carroll needed help from team coach Tim Hamill to pronounce some names
“What’s exciting for us is that we know that our best effort can truly challenge anyone in the world… the outcome or possibilities are endless.”
Hamill said: “It’s the most important thing you can do as a water polo player in the world, and as a country we know how celebrated our Olympic athletes are,” Hamill said.
“What you will see from the Aussie Sharks in Paris is that we are an extremely enthusiastic and motivated group, and we fear no opponent.”