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Hungarian Olympic Triumph!
by Bryan Dawson

Did you know...as of 2016, Hungary ranks 8th in the world in medals at the Summer Olympic Games despite its being torn apart after WWI and losing half her population and 2/3 of her territory. This does not include an additional 6 medals won in the Winter Olympics nor the Hungarians that won medals as nationals of other countries after borders were redrawn or after large-scale emigration.

Ferenc Kemeny, founding member of the International Olympic Committee.

The beginnings of the Olympic movement in Hungary go back further than the Games in Athens. Ferenc Kemeny, a great pacifist and member of the International Peace Bureau, was one of Pierre de Coubertin's first kindred spirits, with whom he struck up a friendship in the 1880's.

Kemeny took an active part in the Congress for the re-establishment of the Games held in Paris in 1894 and was one of the founding members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Coubertin supported Kemeny's suggestion to hold the first Olympics in Budapest in 1896 in honor of Hungary's 1000 years of statehood. While the dream of hosting an Olympics is not yet realized, Hungary has won more Olympic medals than any other nation that has never hosted the Games.

Hungary in the Olympics - Select a Year:

       Sections:

• Master Name Index
• Sports
• Science, Mathematics, & Technology
• Film, the Arts, & Media
• Business & Politics
• Military
• Hungarian Nobel Prize Winners
• Hungarian Olympic Triumph
  

COPYRIGHT:
Please ask for permission and CITE this source, attributing Bryan Dawson, before using this information.

• [Start page]
• [Ferenc Kemeny and the Origins of the Olympic Movement]
• [1896, Athens]
• [1900, Paris]
• [1904, St. Louis]

• [1906, Athens]
• [1908, London]
• [1912, Stockholm]
• [1920, Antwerp]
• [1924, Paris]
• [1928, Amsterdam]
• [1932, Los Angeles]

• [1936, Berlin]
• [1948, London]  
• [1952, Helsinki]
• [1956, Melbourne]
• [1960, Rome]
• [1964, Tokyo]
• [1968, Mexico City]

• [1972, Munich]
• [1976, Montreal]
• [1980, Moscow]
• [1984, Los Angeles]
• [1988, Seoul]
• [1992, Barcelona]
• [1996, Atlanta]

• [2000, Sydney]
• [2004, Athens]
• [2008, Beijing]
• [2012, London]
• [2014, Sochi]
• [2016, Rio de Janeiro]
  

1976 Montreal Highlights

• After taking silver in 1972, the Hungarian Water Polo Team continues historic domination of the sport with 6th Gold Medal!
• Legendary Hungarian Fencing also continues the Championship tradition:
  • Fencer Tordasi Ildiko wins Gold after Silver in 1972
  • Women's team take Bronze
  • Gyozo Kulcsar takes Bronze
• "King of the Pommel Horse," the great gymnast, Magyar Zoltan, wins first Gold!
• Hungarian Kayakers also continue medal performances taking 4 silver and 9 bronze medals

Medal	Name	Event
	Csapó Gábor	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Cservenyák Tibor	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Faragó Tamás dr.	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Gerendás György	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Horkai György	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Kenéz György	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Konrád III. Ferenc dr.	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Molnár Endre	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Sárosi László dr.	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Sudár Attila dr.	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Szívós István dr.	Waterpolo / vízilabda csapat
	Tordasi Ildikó (Schwarczenberger Ildikó)	Fencing / vívás tőr egyéni
	Magyar Zoltán	Pommel Horse / torna lólengés
	Németh Miklós	Javelin / atlétika gerelyhajítás
	Balla József	Wrestling / birkózás szabadfogás 100 kg
	Kőszegi György	Weightlifting / súlyemelés lepkesúly 52 kg
	Csapó Géza	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu K-1 1000 m
	Sztanity Zoltán	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu K-1 500 m
	Pfeffer Anna	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu K-2 500 m
	Rajnai Klára	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu K-2 500 m
	Ştefan Birtalan (Bertalan István)	Handball, Men's Team Competition
	Gabriel Kicsid	Handball, Men's Team Competition
	Georgeta Gabor	Gymnastics, Women's Team Combined
	Bóbis Ildikó	Team Fencing / vívás tőr csapat
	Kovács Edit	Team Fencing / vívás tőr csapat
	Maros Magda	Team Fencing / vívás tőr csapat
	Rejtő Ildikó	Team Fencing / vívás tőr csapat
	Tordasi Ildikó (Schwarczenberger Ildikó)	Team Fencing / vívás tőr csapat
	Kulcsár Gyöző	Individual Fencing / vívás pb.tőr egyéni
	Angyal Éva	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Berzsenyi Mária	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Bujdosó Ágota	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Horváth Klára (Csíkné)	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Nagy Ilona	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Nagy Marianna (Gódorné)	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Németh Erzsébet (Csajbókné)	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Pacsai Márta (Megyeriné)	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Pethő Zsuzsanna (Kéziné)	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Sterbinszky Amália	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Tomann Rozália (Lelkesné)	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Tóth Harsányi Borbála	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Tóth Harsányi Katalin (Lakiné)	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Vanya Mária (Vadászné)	Women's team handball / kézilabda csapat
	Buday Tamás	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu C-2 1000 m
	Frey Oszkár	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu C-2 1000 m
	Buday Tamás	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu C-2 500 m
	Frey Oszkár	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu C-2 500 m
	Bakó Zoltán	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu K-2 1000 m
	Szabó István	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu K-2 1000 m
	Wichmann Tamás	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu C-1 1000 m
	Rajnai Klára	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu K-1 500 m
	Wichmann Tamás	Kayak canoe / kajak-kenu C-1 1000 m
	Baczakó Péter	Weightlifting / súlyemelés középsúly
	Tuncsik József	Judo / judo pehelysúly 63 kg
	Kancsal Tamás	Team Pentathlon / öttusa csapat
	Maracskó Tibor	Team Pentathlon / öttusa csapat
	Sasics Szvetiszláv	Team Pentathlon / öttusa csapat
	Egervári Márta	Uneven Bars / torna felemás korlát
	Réczi László	Wrestling / kötöttfogás 62 kg
	Ladislau (Laszlo) Simon	Wrestling, Freestyle Super Heavyweight

Search all 1976 medalists (in Hungarian)

Featured Olympians

Featured Olympian, Tordasi Ildiko:
(b. 09/09/1951, Hungary, d. )

Triple Medal Winner...
Tordasi was the daughter of a well-known Hungarian Olympic masseur.  She made her club debut at the age of 13 and by 1971 became the youth world-champion.  She was six-time Hungarian champion and won team gold at the World Championships in 1973. She was seriously wounded in an accident and was forced to withdraw from competition. She became a certified trainer, and took on the responsibility of training future Hungarian champions.

Featured Olympian, Nemeth Miklos:
(b. 1946, Hungary, d. )

A family Dynasty...
Miklos Németh of Hungary won the javelin throw in 1976 to become the first son of an athletics gold medalist to win a gold of his own. His father, Imre, had won the hammer throw in 1948 and set a world record.

Click pictures for larger images