INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME TO RECOGNIZE HUNGARIAN MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 3-PEAT OLYMPIC WATER POLO CHAMPIONS

Santa Clara, Calif. - The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF), recognized by FINA, the international governing body for the Olympic aquatic sports as its official Hall of Fame, has announced that TEAM HUNGARY will become the first team in the history of the Hall to be recognized as an Honoree, and that the seven members of the team will join 14 other athletes, coaches, contributors and pioneers - representing five aquatic disciplines (swimming, marathon swimming, synchronized swimming, diving and water polo) from ten different nations – as the CLASS of 2016, at ISHOF’s 52nd Annual Honors Weekend, October 28 - 30, 2016, in Santa Clara, California.  Masters of the ceremonies will be Olympic greats John Naber and Agnes Kovacs.

During a ten year period, from 1998 to 2008 the Hungarian men’s water polo team dominated international water polo like no other team in history, winning back-to-back-to-back Olympic titles - eating an Olympic “three-peat at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. The teams will be represented by three-time gold medalists Tamas Molnar, Tamas Kasas, Tibor Benedeck, Gergely Kiss, Peter Biros, Zoltan Szecsi, and Coach Denes Kemeny (already a member of the Hall of Fame) - and will be honored as the greatest team in water polo history.

The ISHOF Class of 2016 also includes American swimming greats Aaron Peirsol and Dara Torres, swimmer Camille Muffat (FRA); Diver Dmitry Sautin (RUS); Synchronized Swimmer Elena Azarova (RUS); Marathon Swimmers Desmond Robert “Des” Renford (AUS) and Monique Wildschut (NED); Contributor Sir Peter Heatly (GBR); Pioneers, Simeon Boychenko (RUS), Horst Gorlitz (GDR/ITA/FRG), Frank Gorman (USA), Hilda James (GBR), and Leonid Meshkov (RUS) and Gold Medalion recipient, Tod Spieker, (USA).

For tickets and event information, please visit www.ishof.org or call 954-462-6536.

About ISHOF

The International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc. (ISHOF), established in 1965, is a not-for-profit educational organization located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. Recognized by FINA, the International Olympic Committee’s recognized governing body for the aquatic sports in 1968, its mission is to preserve the history of swimming, celebrate the heroes, promote the benefits and importance of swimming as a key to fitness, good health, quality of life, and the water safety of all children and adults, and connect older generations of swimmers to youth.  For more information please visit http://www.ishof.org