Dr. Szabó Lajos: Nők a magyar sportban (A Sportmúzeum Kincsei 3. Budapest, 2003)

THE HISTORY OF WOMEN'S FENCING For several centuries, fencing as a sport was a privilege of lady aristocrats. Historical documents, however, describe that people of the era regarded it as "very odd thing". Hungary's accelerating social development had its influence on sports as well after the first decade of the 19th century. Still, the popularity of fencing was promoted by a single individual, a real lady hero, a person beloved by most Hungarians. This hero was Queen Elizabeth, wife of Emperor Franz Josef. The Queen's affection for sports was well known, just like her talent in fencing and horseback riding. One sign of her influence was the demonstration performance delivered by female fencers from Vienna at the Vigadó Hall in Pest in 1884. Then came the foundation of the first fencing institution in Pest that offered courses for women. Norbert Sztrakay, the famous fencing master issued a book titled "Fencing in Hungary as a physical exercise for women". In that book, he described how impressed he was by the fencing talent of ladies. Even in the first few decades of the 20th century, there were extensive debates over the aesthetics of ladies' fencing dresses and whether the dresses were suitable for sporting. Then the appearance of women at the Olympic Games and international tournaments put an and to the disputes for the benefit of suitability. Hungary's first female fencer to attend an international tournament was Gizella Tary, who was the sixth at the Paris Olympics. In 1936, Hungary's first Olympic champion's title in women's fencing was supplied by Ilona Elek. She made another accomplishment which is unique in the history of the games when defending her championship 12 years later in London (after going through the horrors of a world war). The following decades saw a series of outstanding female fencers: Ildikó Rejtő, the foil team in 1964, Ildikó Tordasi and last but not least epéé fencer Timea Nagy, champion of the Sydney Olympics. Due to its characteristic features, fencing is not a mass leisure sport. The international accomplishments of Hungary's female fencers, however, can contribute to the formation of a new generation of fencers.