Mansour Garoussi

Known as the “father of Iranian water polo”, Mansour Garoussi spent his life dedicated to the sport, first as a player, and then a long-serving coach. When the national youth team was founded Garoussi joined the squad, playing in matches in India and Pakistan. As a senior player he competed in the Turkish water polo league and represented Iran at the 1970 Asian Games in Thailand. Following his playing career Garoussi then turned to coaching and worked with the national team. His first major assignment came in 1976 when he led the team at the Montréal Olympics. He continued to work with the team, winning bronze at the inaugural Asian Water Polo Championship in 1984 and coaching them at three editions of the Asian Games (1986, 1990, 1994).