Olympics: Alfréd Hajós, the first Hungarian Olympic champion

On Friday, 26 July, the 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad began in Paris. In the articles published on our website during the games, we will celebrate the greatest Hungarian Jewish Olympic champions of the past, reviving their achievements and immortal spirit. In our first article, we pay tribute to Alfréd Hajós, who excelled in both architecture and sports.

April 11, 1896, was a historical date in sports; on this day, the first swimming competition in Olympic history was held at the first modern games in Athens. It was won by Alfréd Hajós: he triumphed in the 100-meter distance. Not long after, he also won the 1,200 meters, launching Hungarian swimming on its world-conquering path. The answer he gave at the medal ceremony to the question of the Greek ruler at the time, King George I, became legendary. "Where did you learn to swim so well?" "In the water!"

Known and respected as the first Hungarian Olympic champion and the world's first Olympic champion swimmer, Hajós was a true polymath who also left his mark as an athlete, coach and architect.

Alfréd Hajós was originally born as Arnold Guttmann in 1878 in a poor Jewish family and died in 1955. He learned to swim at the age of four; already in 1895, he won the 100-meter swimming at the unofficial European Championships. The following year, on April 11, 1896, he made history at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, when he won gold medals in both the 100- and 1200-meter freestyle swimming, earning him the name "Hungarian Dolphin" from the Greek heir to the throne.

Hajós was not only a swimmer. He excelled in both gymnastics and athletics, and his football career was also notable. He played in the Budapesti Torna Club (Budapest Gymnastics Club), won championships in 1901 and 1902, and participated in the first match of Hungary's national team. He later became the captain of the national team. From 1897 he was a referee and one of the referees in the most international matches of national teams in Europe. He was co-chairman of the Hungarian Football Association (MLSZ), the Swimming and Gymnastics Association, and a member of the Hungarian Olympic Committee.

After his studies at the Budapest University of Technology, Hajós worked with renowned architects, including Ernő Lechner, before opening his own design studio in 1907. At first, he pursued art nouveau style, then eclectic, while in his mature years he created in a constructive, modern spirit, mostly in an Italian-influenced design. Among his notable projects are the palace of the Hungarian General Credit Bank in Szabadka/Subotica, the Lichtenstein Palace in Miskolc, the Institute of the Blind in Budapest, the Hotel Aranybika in Debrecen, and the Synodal Center of the Reformed Church. After 1945, he led the restoration works of the Vajdahunyad Castle, the Stock Exchange Palace and several other public buildings in Budapest.

Thanks to his sporting success, he was initially exempted from the scope of anti-Jewish laws but had to go into hiding during the rule of the Arrow Cross. His greatness as a human being is illustrated by the fact that he still tried to help others.

Hajós’ influence went beyond his sporting and architectural successes. He played a significant role in the Hungarian Olympic movement, worked as a sports journalist and contributed to the reconstruction efforts after the Second World War. Among his recognitions are the Golden Diploma of Architecture, the gold grade of the Sports Merit Medal, a certificate from the International Olympic Committee and the Ybl Miklós Award.

The posthumously honored Hajós is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. His legacy is commemorated by statues, plaques and institutions named after him, such as the Alfréd Hajós Primary School and the Hajós Alfréd Association, ensuring that his contribution to sport and architecture is never forgotten.

Lilla Zucker-Kertész