At the Olympic Games, some sports that are in the shadows come into the spotlight in the second week, like water polo. The matches have moved, leaving the pool near the Stade de France for La Défense Arena, in the west of Paris. A sumptuous setting where the swimming events took place last week. And the first to jump in the deep end are the Hungarians, nine times Olympic champions of the discipline!
After 16 years of waiting for the gold medal, Hungary started its tournament very badly, with two defeats against Spain and Australia. Fortunately, on Monday, August 5, the Magyars got back on track by beating Serbia, the two-time reigning world champion. They are now qualified for the quarter-finals. A minimum for the fans, who expect nothing more than the gold medal. Dora and her family, already present in London in 2012, warm up their voices while taking photos in front of the Grande Arche de La Défense. “ Our team is under enormous pressure, it is the national sport, explains Dora. Everyone tries it at least once when they’re a kid. I found it really hard, you have to be active underwater, it wasn’t for me. But come on Hungary!
Janka was an excellent swimmer in her youth. This volunteer, married to a Frenchman, wanted to come and cheer on her favourite team. She explains that there is a history and tradition of water sports in Hungary: “ It’s my free day and we bought a ticket for the family to enjoy the Hungary-Serbia match. Water sports are very important to us, swimming is also very important, water polo, kayaking… It’s our culture, we have a lot of kayaks, we have a swimming school, a water polo school, in every city. »
A tradition as confirmed by Ilma, with her makeup and fan in Hungarian colors: “ We don’t have a sea and yet Hungary is very, very strong in water sports. There is the Danube, big rivers, she analyzes. Sport is very important in our education. At school, we are forced to go to sport almost every day, it is really encouraged. »
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The Hungarian team got their heads above water with a 17-13 victory over the two-time Olympic champions Serbia. Enough to put a smile back on the face of Krisztian Manhercz, a goal-scoring winger and player in Marseille, France: “It is often said that the Olympic competition starts in the second week. Our first week was very bad. But now we are finally playing in front of a packed stadium. So the fun part of the tournament begins,” he rejoices.
A nice game that would relax Balazs Balassa, member of the Hungarian Olympic Committee: ” In our country, they say that any result other than the gold medal would be a disaster. All our players are stars in the country. If they walk down the street or go to the movies, people stop them to ask for an autograph. »He remembers : “ In our team, one of the players was there at our last title in Beijing. And our coach was an Olympic champion player in Sydney, in 2000. So, they know how to bring home the gold. »
Three years ago, in Tokyo, they won the bronze medal. The Hungarian team will play its quarter-final this Wednesday.
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