Water polo, both a section and a showcase of Olympique Nice Natation, has been under the leadership of Richard Papazian for nearly 15 years, as directed by president Jean Monnot. As Richard Papazian, a former water polo player, coach, and international referee, likes to recall: “Water polo in Nice is cultural and historical.”
It is important to note that, outside of football, water polo is the only club sport that competes at the highest national level, whether it be the men’s or women’s senior teams. Both of these teams reached the finals of their respective championships this year. As a true breeding ground for French water polo, Nice plays a major role not only in the senior category but also among the youth: junior and cadet champions of France for the 2007-2008 season. With the upcoming school year, the opening of a talent development center for both girls and boys demonstrates the club’s continued commitment to training future generations, preferably local talents, for one of the leading teams in the elite championship.
Richard Papazian attributes this success to three factors intrinsic to all sporting achievements: “work, competence, and atmosphere.” The director of ONWP particularly emphasizes the atmosphere and mindset, which he sees as the sole driving force for victory. For years, Olympique Nice Water Polo has fostered this spirit among its youth: “Here, everyone knows each other across all categories. To learn, one must know how to observe but also how to pass it on…”
Well-structured and confident in its abilities in the pool, Olympique Nice Water Polo benefits from a stable management team that has successfully elevated the sport to the highest national level and aims to soon achieve status on the European stage, the final step for an increasingly ambitious club. For Richard Papazian, the continued success hinges on the creation of a true nautical park: “If the facilities do not keep up, we will no longer achieve such results. We need a nautical park, like the one created in Marseille, with multiple pools, tennis courts, restaurants, and sports halls. But to make this a reality, we need the support of the city. We have met Gilles Veissière (Note: deputy mayor in charge of youth and sports), who knows about our project. There is a palpable desire from the new municipal team to be very supportive of the Nice clubs…”
