Béla Rajki-Reich (2 February 1909 – 20 July 2000) was a Hungarian swimming and
water polo coach.
Early life
Rajki was born in
Budapest.
He was a swimmer and a water polo player early in his life.
He received coaching diplomas in swimming and diving, and was a lecturer at the Hungarian College of Physical Education and Sports.
Swimming and water polo coaching career
From 1948–67 he was director of Hungary's National Sport Swimming Pool, and from 1947–73 he was technical director and national coach of the Hungarian Swimming and
Water Polo Teams.
He was head coach of the Hungarian 1948 Olympic Swimming Team, which won a gold medal (Eva Novak; 200m
breaststroke
Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be s ...
).
He coached the country's swimming and water polo Olympic teams of 1952 in
Helsinki, Finland.
His water polo team won a gold medal, and four swimmers won a gold medal.
In 1956, he coached the water polo team which won a gold medal, and the team won a silver medal in 1972 at the Munich Olympics.
He was a Bureau member of
Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) from 1952 to 1960, and a FINA vice president from 1960 to 1964.
He was also a member of the International Water Polo Board from 1952 to 1964 (Chairman from 1960 to 1964).
In 1996, at age 86, he was still a member of the
Hungarian Olympic Committee.
Publications and honors
He authored ''The Techniques of Competitive Swimming'' (1956), ''Water Polo'' (1958), and ''Teaching to Swim, Learning to Swim'' (1978).
He also wrote over 250 articles and periodical studies in the sport.
The
International Swimming Hall of Fame honored him in 1996.
He was also inducted into the
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
See also
*
Hungary men's Olympic water polo team records and statistics
*
List of Olympic champions in men's water polo
*
List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests a ...
*
Blood in the Water match
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajki, Bela
1909 births
2000 deaths
Hungarian male water polo players
Hungarian Jews
Hungarian water polo coaches
Jewish sportspeople
Water polo players from Budapest
Swimming coaches
20th-century Hungarian people