Forward, Hungarians!
Forward, Hungarians!

Author(s): József N.Pál
Subject(s): Cultural history
Published by: Napkút Kiadó Kft.
Summary/Abstract: “Hungary is a great power in sport.” These words so dear to Hungarian sports lovers were first spoken almost a hundred years ago at the General Assembly of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) held in Stockholm in 1922. The representative of one of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy’s successor states, Czechoslovakia, felt it unjust that Hungary – a country that had been reduced to one-third its size by the Peace Treaty of Trianon – should be granted two seats (filled by Count Géza Andrássy and Gyula Muzsa) at the IOC, the same as the “great powers”. The Swedish heir to the throne – president of the council – replied: “Hungary’s territory is indeed small, but in sport it is a great power.” We Hungarians were truly fl ag-bearers of the Olympic movement. We were the fi rst to form a national Olympic committee (the predecessor of the Magyar Olimpiai Bizottság or MOB [Hungarian Olympic Committee, HOC]), as early as December of 1895. In Paris in June of 1914, world public opinion in sport found it natural to grant the right to organize the 1920 Olympic games to the Hungarian capital. But Franz Ferdinand was assassinated a few days after that decision. Hungary, defeated in World War I, was even barred from the Olympics of 1920. But we didn’t give up: we tried to att end no less than seven times!

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