Blood In the Streets & In the Water

For twelve days in October 1956, Hungarian freedom fighters took to the streets of Budapest to protest the harsh Communist rule of their country.  This spontaneous uprising was almost successful, but then the Soviets sent in the big guns, tanks that rolled through the city streets, obliterating anything in their path and crushing the defiance of the freedom fighters.  Almost 5,000 Hungarians were killed in this uprising.

Now a museum, the House of Terror was once headquarters of the Nazis and later the Communists where Hungarian citizens were interrogated, tortured and killed.

From a mountain camp overlooking Budapest, the Hungarian water polo team, in training for the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne,  could hear the gunfire and see the puffs of white smoke as Soviet tanks fired.  Before they could learn the outcome of the uprising, the team boarded a bus, bound for the airport and ultimately the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.  

The House of Terror's facade is lined with photographs of freedom fighters killed in the Uprising of 1956 as well as tributes of candles, flowers and momentoes. 

There, one of the Hungarians who was fluent in English, read the newspaper article that described the outbreak and its ultimate defeat.  Grieving over their country's fate, the team tore down the Soviet-inspired Hungarian flag that waved over the Olympic Village and replaced it with the banner of Free Hungary.

Three freedom fighters who lost their lives in the Uprising of 1956.

Worried about their families and friends back home, the Hungarian water polo was distracted during the preliminary rounds of the Olympics, but they still rose in the rankings.  Water polo is a major sport in Eastern Europe and both the Hungarian and the Soviet teams advanced to their showdown game.

The photographs of freedom fighters killed in the uprising lines two sides of the building's facade.

Prior to the match, the Hungarian team captain set the tone by refusing to shake the hand of the Soviet captain.  Then the game began.  Punches were thrown in the guise of pursuing the ball.  The Hungarians quickly scored four goals, shutting out the Soviet team who became increasingly frustrated at their inability to score.  

Still another view of the many martyred freedom fighters

With a minute left to play, Ervin Zador made the mistake of looking towards the referee at the other end of the pool instead of keeping his eyes glued to his opponent.  His opponent capitalized on Zador's inattention by punching him in the eye.  That action was the catalyst of a brawl that resulted in the calling of the game by the referee, but that didn't happen quickly enough to stop the Hungarian expatriates in the crowd from emptying the stands and crowding the decks of the pool. There they harangued and threatened the Russian players who had to be escorted to the locker room by the police.

Hungarian water polo team member Ervin Zador
(photo credit to Smithsonian's site)

The game was ruled a victory for the Hungarians who went on to win the gold medal.  Refusing to return to the Communist regime in Hungary, many of the team members defeated to the United States.

"We always had an extra incentive when we played the Soviets, but the atmosphere at Melbourne was another dimension.  The game meant so much to us.  We had to win the gold medal.  We were playing for ourselves, for our families back home, for our country."

~ Ervin Zador