The Szombathely Olympia Club called Zoltan Halmay

By Volker Kluge

The university town of Szombathely in Western Hungary reflect local tradition they decided on Halmay. Today, was known in antiquity as Savaria. Nowadays, it is his name is little known butthey believed he had been home to 8o,ooo, amongst then probably the highest born in Magasfok.J This turned out not to be the case concentration of Olympic fans. The town has one of 30 for after some time it was established that Halmay Hungarian Olympia dubs, as well as the internationally had, in fact, come from the similar sounding village of renowned DOBO Club for Hammer throwers. Amongst Magasfalu, which is part of modern Slovakia.3 its most distinguished current members is 2012 Olympic The initial disappointment, however, soon gave champion Krisztian Pars. The Magyars have won five way to a new inspiration. In 2004 - 100 years after gold medals in this event since 1948. It would have been Halmay had twice won Olympic gold - the Olympia six had not Adrian Annus been disqualified for a doping Club in cooperation with the administration of Vysoka offence in 2004. pri Morave (the former Magasfalu) had a memorial It is possible to establish exactly when this Olympic stone erected with the portrait of Zoltan Halmay. Since euphoria took hold in Szombathely. In 1996, to celebrate then, the Magyars have met annually at the stone the Olympic centenary, Hungarian television organised with their neighbours from the north. Even if these an Olympic Quiz which ran over four month, which people have ranked Halmaj (the Slovakian spelling) as was won by a three-person team of Komitat Vas. The a native Hungarian among their own medallists, this first prize was a ten-day trip to the Olympic Games in unscientific approach (since Slovakia did notthen exist) A mutual Hungarian- Atlanta, during which Vilmos Horvath, a member of the brought its own benefits. Now the two communities are Slovakian birthday winning team, allowed him self to be so bewitched that able to celebrate together. celebration at the he resolved to form an Olympia Club after returning to Back to the Olympic Quiz. Magyar Radio organised Zoltan-Halmay- his home town. another four years after Atlanta. This time the first MonumentofVysoka No sooner said than done: on 17 December 1996 prize was a car, while a trip to the Olympic Games as pri Morave, the former Horvath founded an Olympia Club with 32 enthusiastic a runners-up prize. Vilmos Horvath, who had been Magasfalu. left of the members. The club's aim was to spread the Olympic elected President of the Halmay Club in 1996, agreed memorial: Vilmos idea among Hungarian young people. In the search with his friend and deputy Laszlo Gal that, if as in 1996, Horvath, President of for a name the members came upon the once famous both should reach the final, they would sell the car and the Olympia Club of Hungarian swimmer Zoltan Halmay, who had won travel together to Sydney. And that is what happened. Szombathely. medals at four Olympic Games including Athens in 1906, Horvath und Gal returned full of experiences and among them three golds. They wanted the name to ideas. They honoured the only Olympic champion born Szymon Ziofkowski (POL/2000), the Croatian water polo player and coach Ratko Rudic (1984/2012 gold) or the South Korean wrestler An Han Bong (1992 gold). Even in the 17thyear of his presidency no obvious signs of exhaustion seem to affect Vilmos Horvath, who works as the advertising manager of a newspaper. He has also become a member of the Hungarian National Olympic Committee and of the Hungarian Olympic Academy, which helps with the financing of the club. In addition to members' contributions the club gets money from sponsors, and in addition it receives grants from the town, to whose fame it contributes through exhibitions and publications. Since 2004, girls and boys have On t i ? sports ground in Koszeg stands the m em orial stone for footb all competed for a cup named after Halmay, which - as in legend Gyula lorant, who began his great career here. 1904 in St. Louis - is carried out in the proper style over a At th e form er hom e 50 yards distance. of Im re R a ja y - in 5zombathely with a commemorative plaque at his The influence of the Zoltan Halmay Olympia Club, to Rasztovich a memorial house. He was Imre Fajczy-Rasztovich, a fencer who which a range of young members belong, does not stop p laq ue com m em orates had won team sabre gold in 1936. In the neighbouring at the Hungarian frontier. Every year the club makes the O lym pic fencing village of Koszeg, the graves of Bela Zutawszki (1908 silver an excursion to the neighbouring countries, where champion of 1936, in sabre fencing) and of the legendary football player members meet people with similar interests. In 2013 who was born in and coach Gyula Lorarrt (1952 gold) were decorated with they will travel to Transylvania in Romania. The region Szomhathely. His memorial tablets. was once part of Hungary. ■ daugh ter travelled The Zoltan Halmay Club now meets regularly in a cosy all the w a y from Szcnbathely pub. It now boasts some 70 members A rg en lin a to attend 1 Regional administration units are described in Hungary as Komitat. among them Dr. Pal Hencsei, Vilmos Horvath and Tamas the inauguration 2 Magasfok, which belonged in the time of the Kingdom of Hungary Karakai, all members of ISOH. The walls are covered in to the Komitat of Vas, is the modern Slovenian Martinje. cerem ony and Olympic posters, banners and diplomas, reminding 3 With the 1921 Peace Treaty of Trianon, recognised by the Horthy subsequently became government, Hungary lost two thirds of its area to Czechoslovakia, people of the numerous events organised by the club a m em ber o f the Club. Austria, the later Yugoslavia and Romania. Magasfalu, which lies sin :e 1997. Every year there are between ten and twelve. around 30km north of Bratislava, is today known as Vysoka pri AroLnd 150 Olympic participants and experts have been Morave. inv ted to take part up to date.

Perhaps the most notable of these was the Slovenian Further information: w w w .halmay.hu gynnastics Olympic champion of 1924 and 1928, Leon Stukelj, who - then 98 years old - crowned the evening “FAKLYA" - the on a simple chair with a demonstration of a perfect “Torch" is the nam e angie support. The Icng list of those who spoke and of the . o u rn al that answered questions after him reads like a Who's Who reg ularly reports of Hu ngary’s dazzling Olympic history. To mention but event, in the Zoltan a few: the athletes Ibolya Csak (1936), Gyula Zsivotzky Halm zy O lym pia Club. (1963), Balazs Kiss (1996) and Krisztian Pars (2012), the water polo players Sandor Ivady (1932), Laszlo Jeney, Dezso Gyarmati and Gyorgy Karpati (1952-1960), the football players of the 1952 "Golden Team" Nandor Hicegkuti, Jeno Buzanszky, Jozsef Toth II, Pal Varhidi and "BIack Panther" Gyula Grosics, the Olympic fencing victors Gyozo Kulcsar 11964-1972) and Lidia Sakovicsne Domblky (1964), the modern Pentathletes Istvan Szondy (1952), Andras Balczo (i960,1968/72) and Dr. Imre Nagy (1960), the wrestlers Irnre Polyak (1952) and Janos Varga (196.3), the canoeist Tip o r Tatai (1968) and the gymnast Zoltan Magyar (1976 and 1980). Net to forget foreigners like the Austro-Hungarian speed skate Emese H u iy a d y (gold in 199^), the Olympic hairmer champions Yuri Sedykh (URS/1976/80) and