Kovács-Csatlós was born in Eger, Hungary, into a family with strong ties to the sport. He grew up around aquatic sports and competed in water polo during his youth before later transitioning to officiating.
He began officiating water polo matches in 2010 and made his debut in Hungary’s top division (OB I) at the age of 22.
In years 2025 and 2026, he has been included on the official list of referees of European Aquatics and is classified in the highest (A+) category for men’s water polo officials.[4]
Kovács-Csatlós has officiated at several major international competitions:
- World Aquatics World Cup 2025: Appointed as a referee for the Division 1 tournament in Bucharest, Romania.[5]
- World Aquatics Championships 2025: Served as a referee at the championships in Singapore, officiating matches in the women’s and men’s tournaments.
- European Water Polo Championship 2024: Refereed matches at the men’s European Championship in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
- 2024 Summer Olympics: Selected as one of the water polo referees for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, including men’s tournament matches.[6]
- 2026 Men’s European Water Polo Championship: Named among the referees appointed for the 2026 European Championship.[7]
In club competitions, Kovács-Csatlós has regularly officiated European matches, including knockout-stage fixtures in continental tournaments.[8]
In addition to refereeing, Kovács-Csatlós has served as a technical official and delegate. In 2024, he made his first official appearance as a water polo technical delegate for the European University Sports Association (EUSA).[9]