President Áder remembers Hungary’s 1956 Olympic victory in Melbourne

Melbourne, November 7 (MTI) – President Janos Áder remembered the victory of the Hungarian water polo team against the Soviet team during the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 at an event commemorating the failed anti-Soviet uprising on Monday.

The Olympic victory revealed that under equal terms, even those can win that are otherwise prevented to do so by global powers, Áder said in Melbourne’s Hungarian Centre at the first stop of his week-long visit in Australia and New Zealand.

Even though the Soviet army crushed the Hungarian revolution in November 1956, Hungarians’ wish for freedom could not be eradicated and resistance remained strong for quite some time. A silent strike was held on November 23 and hundreds of armed freedom fighters were hiding in the Mecsek hills, he added.

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Áder said Melbourne became an important place for Hungary’s freedom fight because by the time of the Olympics, armed resistance weakened in Hungary, and the Hungarian water polot team fought in the final in the awareness that victory could carry a message.

“They had to win and they won indeed”, Áder said.

Source: MTI