US men's water polo player leaves viewers stunned with controversial underwater move at Paris Olympics
PARIS, FRANCE: A shocking moment from the Paris Olympics has gone viral after an underwater camera captured a Team USA water polo player pulling the trunks of an Australian opponent during a heated match.
The incident occurred during the men's water polo quarter-final match on Wednesday, August 7, which the US won on penalties.
Footage of Team USA water polo player pulling the trunks of Australian opponent goes viral
The contentious moment was shown in a television replay and quickly caught the attention of viewers. One fan recorded the footage and shared it on TikTok, where it spread rapidly.
In the clip, an Australian player is seen grappling with an opponent, who appears to be wearing the trunks with the US flag on them.
The footage clearly shows the American athlete, identified by No 7 on his swim cap, pulling at the Australian player's trunks beneath the water.
According to the US Water Polo website, the player wearing No 7 is likely Ben Hallock, who participated in the game for 15 minutes.
On Sunday, Team USA will face Hungary in the bronze medal match. The gold medal match will be played between Croatia and Serbia.
Viral underwater footage sparks debate on physical tactics used in water polo
The incident has sparked a mix of reactions online, with some viewers expressing shock and others explaining that such actions are common in the sport.
One remarked, "Water polo is known for what happens under the water stays under water. A normal tactic is squeezing the twins. It’s a nightmare sport to play."
Another user with extensive experience in the sport offered their perspective, stating, "I played County level water polo for over 10 years; this is a normal part of the game. If you've not been face palmed or kicked in the groin during a game then it must be a training session. If you played without a box down your trunks, you didn't last 5 minutes."
An individual with 23 years of experience in water polo, added, "I played water polo for 23 years and you can take my word that the ONLY thing in the game that is clean is the water!!"
One more noted, "Who's shocked? No one who's ever played or watched water polo. My daughters wore the tightest suits they could get on and the back went all the way up to their necks. If the girls wore low back suits their rivals would stick their toes in and use them as leverage to push off pulling the suit down."
"Shock?? There are YouTube channels devoted to this. If you are vaguely familiar with the sport you would know this is normal," pointed out a netizen.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
