Monday, August 25, 2008

Melbourne 1956

Wherein from this book: The Story of the Olympic Games, 776B.C. to 1960 A.D.


[T]he large colony of former Hungarians in Melbourne, the thousands who had fled from Communist rule in their homeland tos ettle in Australia, seethed in an emotional torment. They'd followed the news of the bloody Soviet reprisals in their native land with anguish and with anger. Hatred of Communism boiled to a new white heat.

No sooner had the advance guard of the Hungarian team arrived at the Olympic Village than the athletes swiftly hauled down the Hungarian flag, ripped off the Communist emblem on it and proudly returned it on high....

That evening the main body of Hungarians arrived. Thousands upon thousands of their former countrymen swarmed to the airport to give them a tearful greeting....The Olympians were visibly shaken by their welcome. Nor did they miss the significance of the black arm bands of mourning which were worn by the Hungarian emigres.

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