Olivér Halassy (né ''Haltmayer''; 31 July 1909 – 10 September 1946) was a Hungarian

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

player and freestyle

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

who competed at the

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

, 1932 and

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

. Halassy lost his left leg below the knee when he was hit by a train at the age of 11. He later became the first amputee swimmer to compete in the Olympics. He was a member of the Hungarian water polo teams that won one silver and two gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. He played all matches and scored three, eleven, and six goals, respectively. Halassy won three European water polo titles, in 1931, 1934, and 1938. He also became European champion in 1500 metres freestyle swimming in 1931, a few hours after he helped his water polo team to victory. Nationally he won 25 swimming titles and set 12 records. Due to his disability, Halassy was exempted from military service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After retiring from competitions, he worked as an auditor at City Hall. He was killed by a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

soldier near his home in Budapest, in what Hungarian sources called "tragic circumstances." Other accounts indicate that he was coming home by taxi late at night when he was murdered by occupying Soviet soldiers in a robbery or mugging. His death came just days before his wife gave birth to their third child. Halassy was inducted into 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 and serving as the central point for the s ...

in 1978.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halassy, Oliver 1909 births 1946 deaths 1946 murders in Hungary Hungarian male freestyle swimmers Hungarian male water polo players Hungarian male swimmers Male murder victims Olympic gold medalists for Hungary in water polo Olympic silver medalists for Hungary in water polo People from Újpest Water polo players from Budapest Water polo players at the 1928 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1932 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1936 Summer Olympics Hungarian murder victims People murdered in Hungary European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming European champions for Hungary Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics Hungarian people executed by the Soviet Union 20th-century Hungarian people

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