Hungarians at HaBaWaBa: a story of genius, stars and passion

Creativity, unpredictability, spectacle: these are the ingredients that make waterpolo played by Hungarians different. The Magyar masters are used to distinguishing themselves at senior as well as at youth level and, of course, also at HaBaWaBa: the “game of the ball in the water” would certainly be less exciting without the skill and passion of the little Hungarian players. And without the warmth of the Magyar fans, who every year invade the Bella Italia & EFA Village in Lignano Sabbiadoro with their colors, enthusiasm and love for the game.

Hungary’s history at HaBaWaBa began in 2008, at the first-ever edition of the HaBaWaBa International Festival: at that time the venue of the event was in Castelvolturno, close to Caserta, and not yet in Lignano Sabbiadoro. 32 teams participated in the competition, including Szombathelyi, the first Hungarian club to officially join the “game of the ball in the water” community.

However over the years HaBaWaBa has also given a lot to Hungarian clubs, who on the international stage of the Festival have been able to compete with waterpolo teams coming from all over the world, obtaining memorable victories: starting from 2008, Hungarian teams have won 11 titles in HaBaWaBa competitions. The first Hungarian club to climb to the top step of the podium was KSI with their Blue Dolphins, who were the U9 champion team at the HaBaWaBa International Festival 2016 and then repeated their success in 2019. That year, Hungary took home a historic double: Pecsi triumphed in the U11 age group category. Then in 2023 OSC won the U12 tournament. The victories of Hungarian teams at HaBaWaBa PLUS were more numerous: Ferencvaros were U13 champions in 2017 and were followed by Szeged in 2018, YBL in 2021 (the competition was for U14 players) and Honved in the last edition. In the women's field, Hungary got the gold medal with Dunaujvaros (twice, in 2021 and 2023) and Fehervar (2024). In addition, Hungarian teams have often stood out for their fairness inside and outside the pool: over the years the Fair Play Trophy has been awarded to KSI (U9 in 2017), Sote (U11 in 2019), Dunaujvaros and YBL (both in 2021).

Those mentioned are only the Magyar teams that managed to conquer a gold medal in Lignano, however the Hungarian clubs that have honored the HaBaWaBa with their presence are much more numerous: Angyalfoldi, AVUS, Balaton, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Fehervar, Ferencvaros, Hiros Sport, Honved, III. Keruleti, Kaposvar, Kecskemeti, KSI, Miskolc, OSC, Pecsi, Sote, Szeged, Szentes, Szolnok, Szombathelyi, Tatabanya, Vaci, Vasas, Vasutas, Ujpest and YBL have all participated in the HaBaWaBa events in Italy, helping to make the event organized by Waterpolo Development truly unique on the international waterpolo landscape.

Over the years, the HaBaWaBa has also been an unmissable event for many stars of Hungarian and world waterpolo, who attended in Lignano as managers, coaches or fans of the competing teams: among the most prestigious presences we remember the Olympic champions Gergely Kiss, Norbert Madaras, Peter Biros, Norbert Hosnyanszky, Zoltan Szecsi, Tamas Varga, Zsolt Varga - current head coach of Hungary - and obviously the unforgettable Tibor Benedek, as well as Attila Mihok and Sandor Cseh, the two head coaches of the Hungarian women's national team. And also the champions of tomorrow's have also played at the HaBaWaBa, such as Vince Varga, the central back born in 2005 currently playing the World Cup in Otopeni, or Benedek Rabb, MVP of the last U16 World Championships in Malta. The Hungarian Ildiko Szedlmayer, one of the best coaches in kids waterpolo worldwide, never misses HaBaWaBa, and the event had even Hungarian referees, as Gabriella Varkonyi, international official who whistled in different editions of the event. The HaBaWaBa International Festival (for mixed U11 and U9 teams plus over-age players) and the HaBaWaBa International Festival PLUS (for U13 girls’ and boys’ teams) also expect a large participation of Hungarian clubs in 2025: many teams have already registered, others will join in the coming weeks. The Hungarian flag will continue to fly at the biggest kids’ waterpolo event in the world! Registration for HaBaWaBa International Festival 2025 (June, 15-22) and HaBaWaBa International Festival PLUS 2025 (June, 22-29) is still open: REGISTER YOUR TEAM ON HABAWABA.COM!

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