President Katalin Novák nominated Áron Szilágyi, multiple Olympic champion fencer, for the International Fair Play Award, with whom she also trained together on Tuesday at the Vasas Pasarét Sports Centre.
The President personally informed Áron Szilágyi about the nomination on Tuesday, 13 June. She highlighted Szilágyi’s exemplary action during the final of the Gerevich–Kovács–Kárpáti Men‘s Sabre World Cup in March and stated that she believes many people in Hungary agree that we can be proud of the multiple Olympian, world champion, and athlete who is a role model for children and adults alike. He is someone who shows how to behave in a fair and sportsmanlike manner in sports, public life, and everyday life, she added.
Áron Szilágyi expressed his pride and gratefulness for the nomination and promised to live a life that is worthy of it in the future. He stated that fair play holds a prominent place in his values, and it is important for him to set a good example for young people in sports, in the fencing hall, and in public life as well. Recalling the March event, Szilágyi declared that his action was completely instinctive.
The three-time Olympic champion, World and European gold medallist Hungarian fencer faced Sandro Bazadze, the world’s top-ranked fencer, in the final of the Gerevich–Kovács–Kárpáti Men‘s Sabre World Cup in March. His Georgian opponent had a better start, taking an 8–4 lead, but he already had a yellow card for an early start. After the one-minute break, he cut Szilágyi, moved backwards, but the machine did not register a hit. However, he received another warning, which resulted in a penalty point with a red card. In the next action, the Hungarian champion simply stepped forward without raising his arm to allow his opponent to score a touch, and Bazadze thanked him with a hug, tapping Szilágyi on the handle of his sword. Ultimately, the Hungarian fencer won the match, turning the score from 10–14 to victory, thus defending his title at the Budapest tournament.
In her letter to Jenő Kamuti, President of the International Fair Play Committee, Katalin Novák emphasised that she personally nominates Áron Szilágyi for the International Fair Play Award for his exemplary actions in the final of the Gerevich–Kovács–Kárpáti Men‘s Sabre World Cup on 26 March. This information was provided by the Sándor Palace to MTI on Tuesday.
As the President pointed out, the justifications in the letter provide an opportunity to draw international attention to the ‘unique and yet human generosity of an exceptional Hungarian sports talent.’
