Hungary's 'extra national burden'
Broadcast Date: Nov. 21, 1956
The 1956 Olympics are just three weeks away when Soviet tanks roll into Budapest to suppress a revolution in Hungary. In protest of the Soviet action, three nations withdraw from the Games: Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands. But Hungary, which placed third in the Olympic rankings in 1952, is still sending a team. In this clip from CBC Radio, a reporter in Melbourne for the Games says the troubling events at home may mean Hungarian athletes will compete "against their own mental attitude."Hungary's 'extra national burden'
• A political protest over the Suez Crisis also prompted Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt to pull out of the 1956 Olympics.
• The Soviet-Hungary conflict found its way into the Olympic Games during a water polo semifinal. The game turned bloody when a Soviet player head-butted a Hungarian player, leading to the officials' decision to end the game and hand Hungary a 4-0 win.
• The Soviet Union, which was formed in 1922, first began participating in the Olympics in 1952. At their second Games in 1956 they ranked first in the medal count. Hungary placed fourth.
Hungary's 'extra national burden'
Medium: Radio
Program: Assignment
Broadcast Date: Nov. 21, 1956
Host: Bill McNeil
Reporter: George Gross
Duration: 2:56
Photo: Photo of Hungarian troops defecting, hungary1956.com
Last updated:
July 25, 2008
Hungary's 'extra national burden'.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: July 25, 2008.
[Page consulted on Feb. 13, 2012.]