Ottawa, July 23, 2025 – The Water Polo Canada Men’s Senior National Team took the 11th position at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships held in Singapore.
That is the best result earned by the Water Polo Canada Men’s Senior National Team since it finished 9th at the 2015 edition in Kazan, Russia.
In the group phase, the Canadian team started the tournament with a 18-9 loss against the USA, followed by a 22-10 win over Singapore and a 19-18 loss against Brazil in a shootout. The third-place finisher in Group C, Canada had to face Montenegro, who took the 6th position overall, in the crossover match, against whom they lost 22-10. In the classification phase, the Canadians suffered a 18-12 loss against Romania before facing Brazil again in their final game, which was for the 11th position. The Canadian team successfully avenged its earlier loss to the South American squad by coming up with a 16-11 win.
“It’s always good to finish the tournament with a win,” said Pat Oaten, Head Coach for the Water Polo Canada Men’s Senior National Team. “I think this tournament provided us with an opportunity to really see where we were as a team versus the other teams in the world, but also to experience the way the game has changed in terms of speed, the new rules, and the different dynamics of the game. It’s a huge change, and I think it took a little bit of time for us to adapt.
“But overall, by the end of the tournament, I think we were on point with a lot of these rule changes and just the different style of game that World Aquatics is looking for,” added Pat Oaten. “It was a great learning experience, we have a lot to work on but overall, we’re happy with how the guys played here and reacted to new things.”
“We had lots of lows, but also some highs,” said team captain Bogdan Djerkovic. “I think our team showed what we’re capable of doing at this level, especially in terms of scoring goals. We need to clean up the defence, but I’m still really proud of the guys. I’m proud of how we finished the tournament, how we fought, and how we made defence a priority.”
“I would also like to thank our staff and all the donors for making this possible,” added Djerkovic. “At one point, we thought we weren’t even going to come, so a huge, huge, huge shout-out to everyone.”
“Considering the fact that we’re facing teams with more experience, means and resources, this is a very encouraging result, and it speaks to the remarkable talent, potential and dedication of our athletes and staff,” said Water Polo Canada High Performance Director Olivier Pineau. “We’re also very grateful for the generous contributions of numerous donors from our community, who supplemented the financial support we receive from the Government of Canada and made it possible for our team to compete in Singapore. We once again thank our community members for their ongoing support as the men turn their focus towards our next competitive objectives, and their journey towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games.”
Evan Andrews also attended the 2025 World Aquatics Championships as a referee.
Reuel D’Souza top scorer of the men’s tournament
Canadian forward Reuel D’Souza was the top scorer of the men’s tournament with 26 goals in 45 shots in six games, for a percentage efficiency of 58%.
During the competition, D’Souza scored two goals in seven shots against USA, seven in nine shots against Singapore, three on six shots in the first game against Brazil, three in six shots against Montenegro, four in six shots against Romania, and seven goals in 11 shots in the final game against Brazil.
“First of all, I just want to thank the donors and all the people that made this possible for us to attend this event”, said Reuel D’Souza. “I’m really proud of what we accomplished as a team this week, and I’m happy to say that this individual performance made me proud as well. It’s something I’ve worked for since I was a kid to perform in the highest level and just represent Canada at the maximum stage that I can. I’m proud to be a part of this group, and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Water Polo Canada wishes to sincerely thank the generous donors who, along with support from the government of Canada, make it possible to send our Teams to such critical international competitions, and support our athletes in their steadfast pursuit of excellence. Water Polo Canada continues to accept donations through our website at https://waterpolocanada.crowdchange.co/14154.
Canadian Team at the 2025 World Aquatic Championships
CÔTÉ, Jérémie (Pointe-Claire, QC) – DDO
DJERKOVIC, Bogdan (Ottawa, ON) – Ottawa Titans
D’SOUZA, Reuel D’Souza (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) – Pacific Storm
GARDIJAN, Aleksa (Gatineau, QC) – Club de water-polo de Gatineau
GAVRIC, Andrej (Ottawa, ON) – Ottawa Titans
GERAKOUDIS, Nikolas (Montréal, QC) – WPC
HACHEM, Leo (Montréal, QC) – CAMO
LAPINS, David (Gatineau, QC) – Ottawa Titans
McKNIGHT, Brody (Regina, SK) – Team Sask
O’DONNELL, Jason (Beaconsfield, QC) – Tiburon Waterpolo
POZARIC, Roko (Zagreb, CRO) – WPC
RADENOVIC, Milan (Montréal, QC.) – Mavericks
SOLEIMANIPAK, Aria (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC) – Laval
TANASIJEVIC, Bor (Toronto, ON) – CAMO
OUSSADOU, Ali (Montréal, QC) – CAMO
Coaches
Pat Oaten (Pointe-Claire, QC) – Head Coach
Gyula Toth (Calgary, AB) – Assistant Coach
Support Staff
Mitch Kaufman (Kitchener, ON) – Team Leader
Serena Finlayson (Ottawa, ON) – Athletic Therapist
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