Hungary loves its sports. They have a rich history in many different sports, despite football being the crown jewel and most popular sport in the country.
While many people around the world might not look at Hungary as a sports-crazed nation — at least compared to some other countries — that’s simply not the case. As onlinesportfogadás.com has detailed, people in Hungary love their sports, and it all starts with football.
Here are the most popular sports in Hungary.
Football
While it’s certainly not the only sport of interest in Hungary, it is by far the most popular. Just like many European countries, Hungarians love their football, and they have good reason to.
The country has had a lot of success on the international stage in football, too, which makes it all the more popular with people today. The “golden team” in Hungary happened in the 1950s, led by one of the best goal scorers of the entire 20th century, Ferenc Puskas. FIFA even has an award named after him.
The Hungarian national team has the longest unbeaten streak in football history. They went undefeated across 31 games within four years, including “The Match of the Century,” a 6-3 victory by Hungary that forced England to completely change its approach to training in the sport.
Hungary has done well in the Olympic Games as well. Since 1896, they have participated in the most Olympic Summer Games, having only missed the 1920 and 1984 games. That’s quite impressive.
Water Polo
Hungarians also do quite well in the water, and that shows with their success in water polo. Both the women’s and men’s teams consistently rank among the world’s best in water polo.
The men’s water polo team for Hungary is consistently considered the best in the world. In its entire history, the team has won 11 World Championships and 15 gold medals at the Olympic Games.
Because of the popularity of the sport, and the country’s success in it, Budapest hosted the 2017 FINA World Cup. It was ironic, of course, that Hungary didn’t prevail at those games. Instead, it was Croatia that took home first place.
Kayaking
Despite being a land-locked country, Hungarians also do quite well in kayaking, especially the women. The women’s national kayak team in Hungary is one of the best in the world. In the Summer Olympic Games of 2016, the women’s national team won three gold medals.
Lakes and rivers dot the country of Hungary, so there are plenty of opportunities for people to learn to kayak throughout their lives growing up. It’s a unique and special experience that not a lot of people in the world get to do. And it’s a main reason why Hungarians love to kayak and are so good at it.
Track and Field
While Hungarians aren’t often at the top of the charts in the running events in track and field, they certainly do very well in the other athletic competitions. Hungarian athletes consistently rank near the top of the list when it comes to events such as the hammer throw and the shot put.
One of the most famous names to hit the field for Hungary recently is Balazs Baji, who actually does quite well in hurdles. It may not be an event that many people look to Hungary to do well in, but Baji certainly does so.
This is a very popular sport throughout Hungary, and one that a lot of people like participating in and watching as well.
Motorsports
Not many Eastern European countries are big on motorsports, but Hungary is the exception. It was the first country in the former Eastern Bloc to host a Grand Prix for Formula 1 racing.
In 1986, the first race just on the outskirts of Budapest took place. In fact, the circuit there was the fastest ever constructed in Formula 1 history.
Every year, almost 100,000 people come to watch the race, proving just how popular the sport of Formula 1 is in Hungary. It’s not just about Formula 1, though.
MotoGP is popular in Hungary, and the league is in the planning process of trying to bring a race to the country.
People who live in countries near Hungary, such as Poland, often travel there to watch the races when they happen, since there aren’t any that take place in their own countries. In that sense, Hungary can actually be considered a center for motorsports throughout this section of the world, which is quite impressive.
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