The photo gallery is available here.
We first celebrated the "Hungarian Parasport Day" officially on the 22nd of February 2018. Why was this date chosen? On February the 22nd, 1970, the Institute for the Improvement of Mobility in Budapest gave space for the foundation of the "Oliver Halassy Sports Club for the Disabled".
The founders were famous sportsmen such as Dr. András Fejes, the first Paralympic medallist of Hungary, as well as József Oláh and Zoltán Tauber, Paralympic medallists.
"Vitéz" Oliver Halassy, the eponym of the Club, lost his left leg in a tram accident when he was a child. This did not prevent him from standing on the top step of the podium as a member of the Hungarian water polo team at two Olympics in the 1930s (Los Angeles, Berlin), and he also achieved outstanding results in speed swimming.
The disability of the body may be even better for the spirit, for training the will. Just one example comes to mind: Zsolt Erőss, the "Snow Panther" who lost his life in Kancsendzönga and climbed peaks with a prosthesis.
Pécs is a famous home of the Hungarian parasport, and the PTE PEAC Parasport Department along with the PSN Zrt. - Sport School of Pécs can boast of several competitors who - precisely because of their disability - have come into contact with the sport and fought their way to the top.
For example, Zsófia Konkoly, a world and European champion swimmer, and Bence Iván, who qualified in December for the XVII. Summer Paralympic Games, which will be held in Paris after the XXXIII. Summer Olympic Games.
(I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to a photo exhibition of the city's para-swimmers' honour in the Árkád. If you are passing by, please take a few minutes.)
The PTE PEAC's boccia players (Alexandra Szabó and Gergő Berkes, coach Zoltán Szappanos) will play for the Paralympic qualification in Coimbra, Portugal, between 22-28 March.
And I could go on... I have only picked out a few highlights from the life of Hungarian Parasport, mentioning the exceptional people who are its bearers.
Some of them we had the chance to meet in person, sharing their thoughts and experiences with us thanks to the event organised by the PTE Sports Office, which was held at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University.
There was a lot to cover in the few hours of the programme, which was received with great interest by current and potential future students. They had the chance to try out a number of sensitising sport games prepared by the Boccia players, the wheelchair basketball players and the Support Service students and staff.
We, the members of the Support Service, tried out wheelchairs, blindfolded ball games, blindfolded guides and the ever-popular "age simulator" to provide meaningful sensitisation. We were delighted to find that no one needed to be persuaded and that we were dealing with young people who were quite willing to experience.
The games were followed by a presentation in the Grand Lecture Hall, where Dr. Eszter Dömse (Department of Sports Medicine, University of Applied Sciences) spoke about the history and importance of parasport, then Jószef Hári, head of the Sports Office, introduced the invited athletes, coaches and leaders (Bence Iván, Alexandra Szabó, Gergő Berkes, Zoltán Szappanos, Aurél Vojtek, Tamás Téczely), and gave us an insight into this special world through their stories.
Through them, swimming, boccia and basketball (PTE PEAC Rolling Basket Section) were represented. Zoltán Kopa, the IT instructor of the "Ki-Látás" Elementary Rehabilitation Centre, spoke about his personal involvement and the blind ping-pong.
I think that we have been part of a truly festive event, worthy of the Parasport, with a heartfelt message:
"There is always hope".
- András Olessák -