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Proving a negative in history: the non-appearance of the Hungarian football team at the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956
In this article we examine why Hungary, despite having the best football team in the world, did not enter the competition at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. We examine several explanations and find them to be based on errors and misconceptions. Given the significance of sport in socialist societies, we believe that the most likely explanation lies in the relationship between the Hungarian communist regime and that of the Soviet Union. Ongoing archival research suggests that the Hungarian regime did not enter a football team because it wanted to assist the Soviet Union in winning the gold medal, which it was thought would demonstrate the moral superiority of communism. This proposition is supported by a 2012 interview with Jenö Buzánszky, one of the two survivors of the Hungarian team.
History
Journal
Sporting traditionsVolume
30Issue
2Pagination
1 - 14Publisher
Australian Society for Sports HistoryLocation
Melbourne, Vic.ISSN
0813-2577Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2013, Australian Society for Sports HistoryUsage metrics
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