More Than A Game - Revolution, the Melbourne Olympics and Water Polo

Professor Anthony King reports on the brutally suppressed revolution against Soviet rule in Hungary; the Melbourne Olympics of 1956 and the most infamous water polo match in history. For a time in '56 it looked as though the popular uprising in Budapest against Soviet rule might succeed, but it wasn't long before the Soviet tanks rolled back in. But at the same time, the Hungarian team had been able to set out for the Olympics in Melbourne. It wasn't until they reached Darwin that they learned that the uprising had been put down. The water polo team were the reigning Olympic champions and determined to defend the title. In the semi-finals, they were drawn against the Soviet Union. The game turned into a bloodbath, it became known as the "blood in the water" match, but the Hungarians won and did eventually retain their Olympic title.