One of the truly interesting elements of being a journalist is being able to interview some extremely interesting people.
As a sports fan connecting with people who have excelled at the uppermost levels of their chosen sport is of course an added plus as a writer.
The thing about sports is that it is a multi-faceted area of endeavour.
In Canada we might think the sports world is limited to a few sports; hockey, curling, baseball and a handful of others that have managed to evolve successful professional leagues we can watch on the myriad of sports channels on cable, but around the world many sports we barely know have rather ardent fan bases.
One of those sports is water polo, and one of the top-performers in the sport happens to be a Canadian.
Nicolas Constantin-Bicari hails from Montreal where he recently returned too after playing professional water polo in Budapest, Hungary with the Ferencvárosi Torna Club.
The club is one of the best in Europe, having won the Champions League in 2019, with Constantin-Bicari signing to play for 2020, but COVID hit.
Back in the pool this year the club and Constantin-Bicari made it back to the Champions League final coming up a bit short and settling for silver.
But it was still a huge moment for Constantin-Bicari.
“I was the first Canadian to actually make a Champions League final,” he said in a recent telephone interview, “and to score a goal in the final 21 seconds ... It was a really big moment in my career.”
The medal, while silver, was something Constantin-Bicari said he has long desired.
“It was a goal ... a medal at Champions League,” he said.
With no professional water polo league in North America, Constantin-Bicari has been something of a gypsy through the years, traveling the world to play the sport he loves.
Stops have included Jug Dubrovnik, a revered Croatian club that is the equivalent of one of the NHL’s original six teams, according to the Water Polo Canada website, followed by stints with CN Marseille (France), Australia and most recently Hungary.
For Constantin-Bicari the travel is just something he has to do to play, although he wishes there was a league here in North America. He said in Europe, where the sport is hugely popular in some countries, he tells teammates how fortunate they are to have a league to play in.
“They have no idea,” he said, adding “I’d prefer a team in Montreal. It would be amazing.”
The lack of a top pro league is what Constantin-Bicari called “one of the biggest challenges” when it comes to the development of water polo in Canada. He explained that there are very good players here but typically they play through college, maybe pursue the sport for one Olympic cycle push to help Team Canada, then retire in their mid 20s to start other careers.
It is in the 27-30 age range players tend to peak, based on their physicality and experience, said Constantin-Bicari, but with no pro league, most Canadians are not playing at that age.
That makes it tough for Canada at the international level.
Constantin-Bicari is also a member of the Canadian National Men’s Team, which has not fared well internationally. The team has qualified for four Olympics, most recently in 2008, finishing 11th, with a best finish of ninth in 1976.
The team with Constantin-Bicari failed to make it to Tokyo, finishing eighth at the 11-team qualifier in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
“It felt like disappointment but it was really frustrating too,” said Constantin-Bicari, noting with COVID there was limited playing time as a unit for Canada. “We lacked a lot of preparation because of COVID.”
At the annual World Championships, the team’s best finish was eighth in 2009.
For Constantin-Bicari though water polo remains his first love in terms of sport. He said he played other sports; hockey, basketball, as a youth but his family; five cousins, were ardent water polo enthusiasts and he was in the pool by age five.
“I love other sports but I’m pretty serious about water polo,” he said, adding he realized early on “I got really good at water polo.”
By age 17, Constantin-Bicari was completely focused on the game, making Team in 2009, and helping the men to a best-ever eighth place finish at the 2009 FINA World Championships.
With a Champions League silver medal in his pocket, and the hope of being at the Tokyo Olympics lost, what is next for Constantin-Bicari?
On the national side the goal is now making the Paris Summer Olympics, he said, adding in the short-term he’ll be looking for a good pro spot for 2022, looking to ink a deal in the coming weeks.
