On October 9, Beijing time, Chinese water polo team Montenegrin coach Peter Polo Beach died of a sudden illness on the plane on the way back to China at the age of 67. At the just-concluded Hangzhou Asian Games, he led the Chinese men's water polo team to the runner-up.
According to Beijing Youth Daily, after the Chinese men's water polo team competed in the final on October 7. On the 8th, Polo Beach returned home on vacation, planning to return to Montenegro via Istanbul, Turkey. Before the plane arrived in Istanbul, a Chinese student passenger noticed an abnormality, because Polo Beach had been coughing and other symptoms, and the Chinese passenger alerted the flight attendants. Later, flight attendants noticed that the old man was unconscious and tried to wake the old man, but Polo Beach had no vital signs. At this time, the plane had not yet landed in Istanbul.
Polo Beach has been associated with Chinese water polo since an early age, and from 2017 to 2021, he served as the coach of the Chinese men's and women's water polo team. He took over the German men's water polo team in October 2021 and returned to China as head coach in 2022.
In this Asian Games, the Chinese team advanced to the quarterfinals with the first place in the group, and then played a classic battle in the semifinals, narrowly defeating the "six-time champion" Kazakhstan team, which had won the Asian Games championship for many consecutive years, 14-13, and advanced to the final, losing to Japan in the final and finishing second, but this is also significant for the Chinese team to reach the final again after 13 years after the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
After the award ceremony, when the group photo was taken, the Chinese athletes hung the silver medal around Polo Beach's neck. To this, the player responded, "This is an affirmation of us because the manager has given us a lot. ”
Polo Beach once said, "Common memories bind us together, just as the Tara Bridge in Montenegro connects China to Montenegro like a bridge of friendship." Our two countries are far apart, but culture and friendship allow us to understand each other and bring each other closer. ”