I set up a page to tell the world about the success of my country's sport men and women .Then I check my statistics and I see that so many visitors of my page want to know the secret of the Hungarians .
Well , you might have heard that Hungary with a population of 10 .million got 17 medals at the Games .8 of them were GOLD !
This way our rank at the medal per capita list is : the fifth - number five of all the countries in the world -if we compare the number of gold medals to the population .
I do not think that there is a special secret of that , Hungary is not a bunch of stupid /low performing people -as a lots of media report suggests . I know also that there is a vast anti-Hungarian propaganda world-wide showing only the negative aspects of the Magyars life .At the Games where the numbers talk for themselves the success can not be ignored .
Once when I was working as a tour-guide an American tourist asked me " Can you read and write ?"
and without waiting for the answer " your country will be better off if the next generation will go to school" Well ,you really need to keep cool when doing this job .
I tried to be polite when answering " yes, I know how to read and write and even my great -great grandmothers knew it . Hungary's law on public education dates back to the 19th century . One of my grandma was a teacher with college degree .My other grandma had made four grades at the elementary school -as that was the minimum required compulsory level for every child in the 1920s .
Our first gold medals are coming from the 19th century Athene Games .Doing sport /competitions have more than 100 year old tradition .My little hometown has an Olympic champion .Some of my friends were working hard to be able to go to the Olympics . Though they did not manage to do so they keep organizing events for other ladies /housewives and for kids .The tradition of doing sport is kept this way .
The other thing is the policy of the country . When I was at the secondary at the PE lessons twice a year we had to perform various activities .We had to high -jump ,long jump ,sprint , running 600 meters . Teachers had to send the records to a center where they could find easily the talented ones .
Most towns have sport clubs .Our town had football /chess /karate /athletic /wrestling/kayak/canoe /swimming/shooting/gliding clubs . The trainings were free or nearly free .For the poor kids sport can be often a way to break out from the poverty( yes , we have gypsies performing wonderfully) -and for the wealthy this my be a question of prestige .
So there are many factors .After all I do not think that any of these things are so special - we love our country -as other people love their own .Money has little if any importance at this .What do you think ?
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