Sport, Politics and the Olympics

1965:  The " Blood in the Water" Water Polo Match, Melbourne, Australia 

 A few weeks after the Soviet's tanks and troops flooded the Hungarian capital causing an anti-Soviet uprising, the USSR was set to play the Hungarians in the semi final round at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The uprising caused hundreds of Hungarians their lives and set thousands more into jail, causing high tensions between the two countries. The Hungarian Olympic team watched from a distance as their countries capitol, and the players saw victory as a way to establish pride back to their country.

The Hungarians approached the game with a unique strategy that revolved around "verbally agitating" the Russians. The tactic was to make the Russians so angry, they would be to distracted to focus on the game. This resulted in a physical match with kicking and punching from both sides. By the fourth quarter, five players had been kicked out of the game by the referee. The Hungarians were up 4-0, led by their 21 year old star player, Ervin Zador. Moments before the final whistle, Russian player Valentin Prokopov hit Zador in the eye. " I saw about 4,000 stars. And I reached to my face and I felt warm blood pouring down, I instantly said 'Oh my God, I wont be playing the next game." When Zador exited the pool, the crowd went wild, with spectators jumping the barrier, rushing the Russian team. Pictures of Zador's injuries circulated the world, leading to the nickname " Blood in the Water".

Hungary ended up winning gold at the Olympics that year. Zador and a handful of his teammates sought off to live in the United States, rather than returning to Hungary under the pro-Soviet regime.


This water polo match demonstrates many aspects of Sage and Eitzen's Sport and Politics. Most clearly it was used as a way to express nationalism. While the Hungarian National team watched Soviet tanks roll over their capital, the Olympic team because a sign of strength, pride and icon under their country's failing battle for freedom. The stadium was packed with Hungarian-born Australians, and charged with political tension. For Hungarians this match was a way to lessen the pride of their oppressors. This game became a way to opiate to the masses, cheering for their country as they fought a war in the pool.

As Gilbert Cranberg has pointed out, " nationalism not merely intrudes, it dominates." One of the first nights of the Olympic games, the red star in the center of the Communist Hungarian flag was cut out, and replaced with a symbol of Hungarian independence. The Olympics are not only a way to propose for change, and promote the idea of both nationalism and " the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from all over the world at the Olympic games in a spirit of fair competition and frank competition".

Because of this situation, and a handful of other political stances that have been made at the Olympics, I am going to have to disagree with the fact that " Sport is pure and devoid of political interference. From the 1936 Nazi Olympics in Muich, to the ban of homosexual athletes at the passed Winter Olympics, the amount of emotion and money make sport a perfect stage for political outcry.




References:
Reid, Kristy (20 August 2011). Blood in the water: Hungary's 1956 water polo gold. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14575260