Károly Kárpáti
Encyclopedia
Károly Kárpáti was a Jewish Hungarian
Olympic wrestling
champion.
provided special significance, because it came at the expense of Germany's vaunted titleholder, Wolfgang Ehrl. He was one of a number of Jewish athletes who won medals at the Nazi Olympics in Berlin in 1936.
Kárpáti won a silver medal in the Lightweight Freestyle class at the 1932 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles
. In 1928 at the Amsterdam Games
, he finished fourth in the same weight class.
Kárpáti was Hungary's first "freestyle" wrestler, winning his first Hungarian National Junior title in 1925. He went on to win ten Hungarian National Championships, as well as European Lightweight wrestling crowns in 1927, 1929, 1930, and 1935. He also won one silver and two bronze medals in European Championships competitions during the years in between.
Karpati was a Hungarian wrestling master trainer-coach and Olympics coach for many years. He authored six books on the sport of wrestling.
The Hungarian champion listed among his hobbies Einstein
's Theory
of Relativity. In 1982, International Olympic Committee
President Juan Antonio Samaranch
presented the bronze medal of the Olympic Order
to Kárpáti for his lifelong work with youth in sports education.
During the years of the Second World War and worsening of the antisemitic policy in Hungary, as an Olympic Champion Karpati was exempt from labor camp service destinated for Jews, until 1943. Later, following some reports, he was sent to forced labor camps in occupied Ukraine
, among others in Nadvirna
.
For the rest of the war he succeeded in hiding himself in the Banki woods and in Pest with family and friends.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Olympic wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
champion.
Career
He won a gold medal in 1936 in the Lightweight Freestyle class. The Jewish wrestler's victory in the Berlin 1936 Nazi Olympics1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
provided special significance, because it came at the expense of Germany's vaunted titleholder, Wolfgang Ehrl. He was one of a number of Jewish athletes who won medals at the Nazi Olympics in Berlin in 1936.
Kárpáti won a silver medal in the Lightweight Freestyle class at the 1932 Summer Olympics
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In 1928 at the Amsterdam Games
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
, he finished fourth in the same weight class.
Kárpáti was Hungary's first "freestyle" wrestler, winning his first Hungarian National Junior title in 1925. He went on to win ten Hungarian National Championships, as well as European Lightweight wrestling crowns in 1927, 1929, 1930, and 1935. He also won one silver and two bronze medals in European Championships competitions during the years in between.
Karpati was a Hungarian wrestling master trainer-coach and Olympics coach for many years. He authored six books on the sport of wrestling.
The Hungarian champion listed among his hobbies Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
's Theory
of Relativity. In 1982, 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...
President Juan Antonio Samaranch
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Don Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquis of Samaranch, Grandee of Spain , known in Catalan as Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló , was a Catalan Spanish sports administrator who served as the seventh President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001...
presented the bronze medal of the Olympic Order
Olympic 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...
to Kárpáti for his lifelong work with youth in sports education.
During the years of the Second World War and worsening of the antisemitic policy in Hungary, as an Olympic Champion Karpati was exempt from labor camp service destinated for Jews, until 1943. Later, following some reports, he was sent to forced labor camps in occupied Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, among others in Nadvirna
Nadvirna
Nadvirna is a city located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of Nadvirna Raion.Until World War I, Nadvirna was integrated into the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in the province of Galicia. In the inter-war years, the borders changed and it was annexed...
.
For the rest of the war he succeeded in hiding himself in the Banki woods and in Pest with family and friends.