I follow avidly both tennis and athletics, and you can see in some countries they have very strong traditional links and are steeped in certain sport activities for example in sprinting Jamaica to them it’s a very big deal and for Kenya middle to long distance running. In tennis Czech Republic have produced outstanding players Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl present ones include Petra Kitova a Wimbledon champ and there are many more, Spain is the same I know Nadal is the outstanding one but they have great in depth strength probably ten men in the top 100 they are no one trick pony, even Andy Murray trained their as a youngster. And this made me mull over the Hungarian wrestlers who featured so prominently in Western Europe wrestling scene from the fifties onwards. Even the world champ Lou Thesz his parents came from Austria- Hungarian empire and I understand Lou’s dad was a champion himself back in Hungary. We were fortunate in the UK to enjoy our own Hungarians......Tibor and Peter Szacks as well as one of my favourites Zoltan Boschik but there were others( whatever happened to Kalmen Gaston?). They all seemed very sound technically the Boschik v John Naylor bout is great. It’s so long ago....when did these guys arrive? Was it connected to the quashed 1956 Budapest uprising? I seem to think they were out of the country at the time on some wrestling tournament and never returned to Hungary not sure where I picked that up or if it’s even true! Their loss was the UK gain that’s for sure. But we were not the only beneficiaries Europe got some as well, Molnar, Kovacs, Gida all brilliant matmen it turns out my personal favourite the German baddie Doctor Adolf Kaiser was actually.......an Hungarian! And I know there were more! Hungary is not a big country nor does it have a big population. I know little about it, but it made me wonder is it a country that as a tradition in certain sports and wrestling is one of them?
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A good pic. of Sandor Szabo, born in Hungary and had a huge career in the States. He, Gidea and Tibor all born in Hungary were probably the best of their respective days.
Another of Sandor for those who like the BELTS!
As far as I know Waldherr was born in Budapest but moved as a child to vienna where he raised up.
I can give you a list of hungarian wrestler wrestled in vienna at the heumarkt.
Sascha Bela worked in vienna 46
Bo-Ga-Tsi (was billed from Siam) in reallity he was a hungarian named Ferencz Pocacsy or Bogatsch 47-49
Gusztáv Czája only one match in 47 otherwise worked as a referee this year
Vasil Franculescu real name Fritz Frank Franculescu was also billed from rumania
47-48 Only a name „Gasper“ in the newspaper 1948
Gedeon Gida born in slovakia there lived a hungarian minority. 52, 55-56, 59, 71 Joschi Kamaras a big name in vienna 47-50, 52-53
Emil Koroshenko billed in Austria as Ivan from the Ukraine real name Elemér Köröskényi 48-49
József Kovács well known Butcher from budapest 60, 62, 69, 71
Paul „Rado“ Lukacz was billed one year from Hungary the other from Rumania 47, 49
Pierre Martinec (Pa l Ferencz Martinek) 47 born in hungary escaped to france wanted to go back and get arrested.
Josef „Joschi“ Matlag 48
Josef Molnar 69
Michael Nadoer (Mihaly Kuti) 58, 62-64, 69, 71, 73, 77-81
Bob Nilson (Sandor Czaya Nandor) 47-48 Hungary born moved to canada.
Mihaly Orgovany wrestled elswhere as Mike Brendel 47-48
There was a „Pellerdi“ somtimes writen as „Pellerdy, Bellergi or Peterdi“ 47-49 Samuel Popescu billed from Romania but was from hungary
48 Sorady (Istvan Szorandi) 47-48
Josef Tasnady (József Rezső Tasnádi Tidrenczl) Olympic Wrestler 47
Janos Tanamar 48 (also boxed in vienna in 47)
Harry Vargyas 46, 48-50 was from Burgenland Austria
Arpad Weber 72-73, 78-79
Hans Waldherr born in Hungary moved to austria and later to germany 49-50 Josef Chenok born in germany but was from belgie, hungarian descent. 56, 58, 63, 65-68
regards from Austria
200000 is a significant number of their population particularly if these were able young/ middle aged people contributing to the country’s welfare. I clearly remember the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia as it was known then I would be 12 at the time. And the newspapers said the Russian tanks swept into the country under the cover of night and the people found the tanks in the centre of Prague when they woke the next day. Dubcek their prime minister who had not been towing the Warsaw line was immediately put in clink. Perhaps they had learnt from the number of evacuees that occurred in 1956 and acted swiftly so not as many Czeck folk got away. The iron curtain as it was perceived was a very real thing between West and East and all Eastern Europe was portrayed as a grey depressing world, people leading drab grey lives. Western films like SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD perpetuated this, maybe it was, maybe worse, maybe however some of it was western propaganda. When Martina won her first Wimbledon title there were stories of he Duchess of Windsor appealing on her behalf to let her parents come over. And they all watched crammed together her Wimbledon final on a small black and white tv.back in Czechoslovakia .. Well, they did let them out, and they did go and live in the USA with all the luxuries Martina could provide, but they returned home to Czechoslovakia as they could not settle probably too big a culture shock for them! only the papers did not report that as there was no story in it..........
Of the 200,000 Hungarians that fled their country in 1956 around 20,000 emigrated to Britain. There wasn't the same number of Czechs coming to Britain in 1968. Those Hungarians with a background in wrestling found an opportunity for a new career.
Thanks for posting the connection it made very interesting reading, I reckon Saxonwolf must be right and that it is part of their educational training we have nothing similar, but why did the Hungarians shine in the professional ring and not say the Poles, or Rumanians or Czech etc? Was this directly due to 1956? A similar thing happened in Prague 1968 a quashed rebellion but no influx of Czech wrestlers? Incidentally I got the info of Doctor Adolf being Hungarian from the french site one of the comments under a bout said he was.
https://heritagedocs.wixsite.com/talkwrestling/forum/memories-of-the-old-days/john-s-hungarian-register-of-imports
That is a surprise about Doctor Kaiser, as I only ever see him listed as Austrian, from Vienna.
I think in general, Wrestling (Olympic style) is much more a part of the education system in Eastern Europe, similar to the USA.