Fresh talent needed in pool
The glow of medals should not overshadow reality. The national women’s water polo team may have won the silver medal at Athens 2004 Olympics, and gold at the World League a year later with a win over Hungary in the final – just weeks after the Magyars were crowned world champions – but these distinctions do not guarantee a bright future. There is work ahead, and a growing need for new young blood. The national team’s current lineup includes players that served for as many as 12 years. Eftychia Karayianni is 33, Voula Kozomboli is 32, and Evi Moraitidou is a year younger than that. «Normally, we shouldn’t still be playing for the national team, but better players haven’t surfaced yet. OK, my position [attack] and Evi’s [defense] are difficult, but, with the exception of Yiouli [Lara], who is doing well but is not that young [26], there are no other players ready for the attacking positions,» said Kozomboli. We’ll probably keep playing with the national team until the 2008 Olympics. But, from then on, it will be impossible to continue. There isn’t any output. Other leading national teams have a younger average age,» she continued. In women’s water polo, there is also the biological clock to that needs to be taken into consideration, for players wanting to have children. The team’s assistant coach, Giorgos Morfesis, reiterated that the aging factor was a concern. «I see that other countries are enjoying good output and fear that they will overtake us. Spain, for example, has a few good young players, some of whom are already playing in the women’s team,» commented Morfesis. «We’re not producing young players. There’s more recycling of good players going on at club level, rather than production. The approach of officials can be blamed,» he added. Away from the pool and down to business, team captain Eftychia Karayianni, commenting on behalf of the entire squad, said pending financial issues needed to be solved, while adding that official recognition of the team’s world-class distinctions was disappointing. «We’re athletes that won a medal at the Olympic Games and also earned a distinction the following year. The [sport’s local] federation was given a 50,000-euro amount for the World League gold medal, but our travel expenses for last year haven’t been covered yet. And there was no payment from the state either,» said Karayianni. «We’re not asking for much money, just a symbolic amount. Otherwise, let’s just stop raking in success. But money is not the most important thing for us. It’s the overall treatment we get that annoys me,» the skipper added. Karayianni said she was concerned about the team’s level of preparations in 2006, which she said was below standard compared to the previous two years. «Ahead of the Olympics, we trained regularly with the USA, Australia, and Hungary, and, last year, with Australia. We also played in top-level tournaments,» said Karayianni. «This year, it has been arranged for us to prepare with Kazakhstan because their national team is going to travel covering its own expenses. You gain nothing from inferior sides. What are we going to accomplish with Kazakhstan? They lack skill. That’s a problem. And you can’t prepare alone either,» she continued. The Greek team’s next challenge will be the European Championships. Having expressed complaints about what she felt was a lack of administrative support for the team’s efforts, Karayianni noted that competitive failure would inevitably fall back onto the team and its coach. «We’re not magicians. You reap what you sow. I can’t go on feeling that a year will be wasted like this. This team is capable. It’s tightly knit. The younger players are talented. If they adapt to the coach’s demands, we can carry on succeeding. I believe in the younger talent,» said Karayianni. «But I’m anxious about 2006 going astray for a team that works very hard. That would be a shame and unjust, especially for us older players who don’t have that much time.» Karayianni said she believed Greece was strong enough to win a medal at the Europeans, while stressing that more appropriate administrative support was needed. The team captain said a request had been made for a meeting with the federation’s president and the government’s top sports official. «We’re waiting. Theoretically, things improve when success comes. The federation must find funds. Otherwise, the federation is making money from our medals. They would say, ‘Just bring back the medals and you’ll see,’ We’ve brought them back,» protested Karayianni. «What are we going to see?»
