György Szepesi
Encyclopedia
György Szepesi is a Hungarian radio personality, journalist and sports executive.
, Hungary. His father Miklós Friedländer died in Buchenwald concentration camp
, in 1945. Szepesi himself was forced into a labor battalion in Ukraine, which was disbanded in October 1944. Following that, Szepesi returned to Budapest and was housed with a fellow sufferer by a four-children family. Gábor Kocsis and his wife, who – as Szepesi said in his speech at the inauguration of the monument erected in memory of the victims of labour battalions in Budapest in 2009 – treated them like they were their own children and harboured them until the German troops lost ground and moved behind the line of the Danube in mid-January 1945.
He received his doctorate in sports history from the University of Physical Education in Budapest. He played basketball for Hungary’s Vác-Újbuda LTC until the Fascists disbanded the club in 1942.
since April 1945, when he was appointed Editor-in-Chief. He has covered Olympic Games
since 1948, and (soccer) Football World Cup since 1954.
Szepesi was a Hungarian Olympic Committee
member from 1962 into the year 2000, and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Executive Committee
Chairman from 1982 to 1994. He was Chairman of the Hungarian Football Association (HFA) from 1978 to 1986. He is now honorary chairman of the HFA, and an honorary member of FIFA’s Executive Committee.
from the International Olympic Committee
in 1995. He received the honor of the "Pillar of Achievement" from the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
in 1997.
In 2004 he was given the Prima Primissa award in the Hungarian Electronic Press category. In 2005 Szepesi became a honorary citizen of Budapest, and in the same year he was decorated with the Middle Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.
Early life
Szepesi is Jewish, and was born in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary. His father Miklós Friedländer died in Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
, in 1945. Szepesi himself was forced into a labor battalion in Ukraine, which was disbanded in October 1944. Following that, Szepesi returned to Budapest and was housed with a fellow sufferer by a four-children family. Gábor Kocsis and his wife, who – as Szepesi said in his speech at the inauguration of the monument erected in memory of the victims of labour battalions in Budapest in 2009 – treated them like they were their own children and harboured them until the German troops lost ground and moved behind the line of the Danube in mid-January 1945.
He received his doctorate in sports history from the University of Physical Education in Budapest. He played basketball for Hungary’s Vác-Újbuda LTC until the Fascists disbanded the club in 1942.
Career
Szepesi has been on Hungarian RadioHungarian Radio
Magyar Rádió is Hungary's publicly funded radio broadcasting organization. It is also the country's official international broadcasting station...
since April 1945, when he was appointed Editor-in-Chief. He has covered Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
since 1948, and (soccer) Football World Cup since 1954.
Szepesi was a Hungarian Olympic Committee
Hungarian Olympic Committee
Hungarian Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee representing Hungary.György Szepesi was a Hungarian Olympic Committee member from 1962 into the year 2000....
member from 1962 into the year 2000, and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Executive Committee
FIFA Executive Committee
FIFA Executive Committee is an institution of FIFA . It is the main decision-making body of the organization in the intervals of Congress...
Chairman from 1982 to 1994. He was Chairman of the Hungarian Football Association (HFA) from 1978 to 1986. He is now honorary chairman of the HFA, and an honorary member of FIFA’s Executive Committee.
Honors
He received the FIFA Medal in 1994, and the Olympic OrderOlympic Order
The Olympic Order is the highest award of the Olympic Movement, created by the International Olympic Committee in May 1975 as a successor to the Olympic Certificate previously awarded. The Olympic Order originally had three grades , although the bronze grade was retired in 1984...
from the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
in 1995. He received the honor of the "Pillar of Achievement" from the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
in 1997.
In 2004 he was given the Prima Primissa award in the Hungarian Electronic Press category. In 2005 Szepesi became a honorary citizen of Budapest, and in the same year he was decorated with the Middle Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.
External links
- The match of the century, by György Szepesi, Hungarian News and Information Service
- Népesedésünk ma és holnap, by György Szepesi, Kossuth, 1986, ISBN 963092840X
- Hungarian football rhapsody: 70 years of soccer history, by György Szepesi, Pannonia Press, 1968