In 1956, the Games of the XVI Olympiad in Melbourne coincided with the Hungarian Revolution, an attempt of the Hungarians to free themselves from the Soviet domination, eventually suppressed by an armed intervention of the Soviet Army. During the semi-final water polo match between USSR and Hungary the players came to blows. The Hungarian Ervin Zádor was punched by a Soviet team player and his blood coloured the water in the pool red. The match ultimately ended in a victory for Hungary. The

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... goal of the article is to describe the conflict between Hungary and the USSR which had its tragic final in a sport match at the Melbourne Olympic Games. The 1956 Olympic Games showed to what extent political conflicts are mirrored in sport. Hungarians wanted to show they were a free nation and that they would never accept the political sway of Moscow over their country.