At the Asian Championships in Samut Prakan, Thailand, the men’s and women’s teams of China and Kazakhstan have qualified for next year’s World Championships in Fukuoka.
Japan and China both emerged victorious at the 2022 Asian Water Polo Championships, taking home gold medals in the men’s and women’s competitions, respectively.
The seven-day tournament (7-14 November) in Thailand, concluded yesterday with Japan retaining their 2015 Asian Championship crown. China, the 2013 Women’s World League Champions, were also the winners from last time out, and they won the women’s competition for the fourth time in a row.
The tournament gave two teams the opportunity to qualify for next year’s World Championships in Fukuoka. Normally, the top two teams would qualify for the World Championships, but because Japan has already qualified as technical hosts and finished in the top two in both competitions, a podium finish guarantees both a World Championships berth as well as a medal. Kazakhstan, who finished third in both competitions, therefore has also qualified for the World Championships, marking the seventh consecutive year that both Kazakh teams will participate at the competition.
Men’s Competition
Results – Group A
Day 1: India – South Korea 3:16, Kazakhstan – Thailand 15:4
Day 2: India – Iran 4:19, South Korea – Thailand 16:9.
Day 3: Iran – South Korea 17:8,Kazakhstan – India 17:4
Day 4: Iran – Kazakhstan 11:10, India – Thailand 11:11
Day 5: Kazakhstan- South Korea 6:5, Thailand – Iran 3:15
Standings:
- Iran – 8pts
- Kazakhstan – 6pts
- South Korea – 4pts
- Thailand – 1pts
- India – 1pts
Results – Group B
Day 1: Singapore – Kuwait 17:8, China – Hong Kong 26:2.
Day 2: Hong Kong – Singapore 11:19, Japan – China 14:9.
Day 3: Kuwait – Hong Kong 10:11, Singapore – Japan 6:22.
Day 4: Japan – Kuwait 23:7,China – Singapore 25:6.
Day 5: Japan – Hong Kong 20:1, Kuwait – China 2:22
Standings:
- Japan – 8pts
- China – 6pts
- Singapore – 4pts
- Hong Kong – 2pts
- Kuwait – 0pts
9th-place match: Kuwait – India 9:13.
Quarterfinals: Iran – Hong Kong 19:2, South Korea – China 8:18, Kazakhstan – Singapore 18:8, Thailand – Japan 5:33.
Semifinals: Iran – China 10:11, Kazakhstan – Japan 4:20.
Semifinals 5th-8th place: Hong Kong – South Korea 3:13, Singapore – Thailand12:9
7th place match – Hong Kong 7-12 Thailand
5th place match – South Korea 14-7 Singapore
Bronze medal match – Iran 5-8 Kazakhstan
Gold medal match – China 7-10 Japan
Women’s competition
Results – Group stage
Day 1: China – Singapore 32:3, Kazakhstan – South Korea 25:5, Japan – Thailand 28:4.
Day 2: South Korea p Japan 3:40, China – Kazakhstan 16:5, Singapore – Thailand 9:13.
Day 3:Kazakhstan – Singapore 18:9,Japan – China 15:16, Thailand – South Korea 32:4,
Day 4: China – Thailand 22:3, Singapore – S.Korea 27:6, Kazakhstan – Japan13:23,
Day 5: Japan – Singapore 27:3, South Korea – China 1:40, Thailand – Kazakhstan 6:15.
Standings:
- China – 10pts
- Japan – 8pts
- 3. Kazakhstan – 6pts
- 4. Thailand – 4pts
- 5. Singapore 2pts
- South Korea 0pts
Semifinals: China – Thailand 27:2, Japan – Kazakhstan 16:12
Bronze Medal Match – Kazakhstan 14-5 Thailand (4–0, 5–1, 2–4, 3–0)
Gold Medal Match – Japan 5-17 China (1–2, 1–6, 1–5, 2–4)
