The Hungarian men's national water polo team

The Hungarian men's national water polo team represents Hungary in international men's water polo competitions and friendly matches.

They are considered the best varsity water polo national team in history of the sport, having won 15 Olympic, 9 World Championship, 5 FINA World League, 8 FINA World Cup and 21 European Championship medals.

The "Blood in the Water" match (in Hungarian Melbourne-i vérfürdő, "Blood Bath" of Melbourne) was a water polo match between Hungary and the USSR at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

The match, which took place on December 6, 1956, was against the background of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and saw Hungary defeat the USSR 4–0.

The name was coined after Hungarian player Ervin Zádor emerged during the last two minutes with blood pouring from under his eye after being punched by a Soviet player.

In 2006, for the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, a documentary Freedom's Fury told the story of the match. The film was produced by Lucy Liu and Quentin Tarantino, who described it as "the best untold story ever". The documentary was narrated by Mark Spitz, who as a teenager had been coached by Ervin Zádor.

Also in 2006, a feature film about the match was released, entitled Children of Glory (Szabadság, szerelem in Hungarian, which means Freedom, love, after the lines of Sándor Petőfi, the martyred poet of the 1848–49 revolution). The movie shows the Hungarian Revolution through the eyes of a player on the water polo team and a girl who is one of the student leaders. It was directed by , and produced by Andrew G. Vajna.

The movie appeared in Hungarian cinemas on 23 October 2006, the 50th anniversary of the revolution. On 29 October 2006, it was shown at the White House for President George W. Bush and guests (including Hungarian figures such as George Pataki, Governor of New York and George A. Olah, Nobel Prize winner).

Water polo

Olympic Games

Position Year

2 Amszterdam, 1928

1 Los Angeles, 1932

1 Berlin, 1936

2 London, 1948

1 Helsinki, 1952

1 Melbourne, 1956

3 Róma, 1960

1 Tokió, 1964

3 Mexikóváros, 1968

2 München, 1972

1 Montréal, 1976

3 Moszkva, 1980

1 Sydney, 2000

1 Athén, 2004

1 Peking, 2008

The water polo team of Hungary pose with their gold medals after

Hungary-USSR Water Polo - 1956 -

Unsportsmanlike Conduct at Olympics

Water Polo Men 2008 Olympics.

Hungary in the Men's Gold Medal Water Polo

Match at the Yingdong

olympics day 16 water polo team hungary

celebrates on the podium after

Hungarian Men's Water Polo Team Lives Up to Expectations

push their head coach Denes Kemeny into water after men's water polo ...

Hungary retains men's water polo supremacy - ABC News