Dutch water polo players kicked off the Olympic qualifiers on Tuesday. National coach Arno Havenga’s team leaves Slovakia in the first group match in Trieste: 22-2.

Martje Kunning is the highest scorer with six goals. Mad McKenzie had four wins. Slovakia, who barely hit 18-0 in the last quarter, scored for the first time. Karin Kachova, one of the many young players, was responsible for this.

“We had to go there for a while,” he said long after the first game for Quinn Orange Gigo game. “But 22-2 was a great decision. We wanted to take full advantage of it and take full advantage of the opportunities. We won most of the time. The next match against Italy is a measuring moment. Then we will know more about where we stand.”

Two tickets to the next Summer Olympics in Tokyo are to be distributed in Trieste. That means the semifinals will come to an end. The Netherlands will play hosts Italy and France in the group stage in the coming days.

Japan, the United States, Spain, China, Canada, Russia, Australia and South Africa have already won the Games in Tokyo. So there are two finalists in Trieste.

In 2008 the Dutch water polosters led by national coach Robin van Gaalon won Olympic gold. In both 2012 and 2016, the Orange team failed to qualify for the game.