Athletes of the Nation: István Jónyer was nominated as the new member

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2021.05.21. 23:09

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Due to the unfortunate death of Sarolta Monspart, the 12th member of the Athletes of the Nation was chosen – among ten candidates, the four-time world champion table tennis player was selected in the first round of voting.

ATHLETES OF THE NATION
András Balczó (modern pentathlon) 2004– László Hammerl (sport shooting) 2004– Mária Ivánkay (parasport, table tennis) 2004– Ágnes Keleti (gymnastics) 2004– Lajos Portisch (chess) 2004– Ildikó Rejtő (fencing) 2007– Pál Schmitt (fencing) 2014– Zoltán Magyar (gymnastics) 2015– Jenő Kamuti (fencing) 2017– János Varga (wrestling) 2018– Tamás Faragó (water polo) 2020– István Jónyer (table tennis) 2021–

The athletes of the nation met at the Ministry of Human Resources. They were thrilled to see each other again after a long time (most recently, they've voted online because of the pandemic), even though, unfortunately, they had come together due to sad news. Sarolta Monspart's passing a few weeks ago left a vacancy in the "elite", dwindling the 12-member body to 11. The task now was to choose the twelfth member among them. Eight of them were present in person, and the three missing members were on the phone.

The prize is awarded to Hungarian athletes over the age of 60 who keep playing a decisive role in sports even after finishing their active career. It can be awarded for performance in either individual or team sports.

At the beginning of the official part, the Secretary of State for Sports, Tünde Szabó, greeted the gathering like friends. She said she was glad to see everyone in good health – some people knocked on wood out of superstition. Although the reason for the meeting is sad, the task is noble.

The members were consulting, and in about 45 minutes, they announced that István Jónyer, who won four World Championships in table tennis, got added to the legends, and he is now also an Athlete of the Nation.

“The list consisted of ten athletes from which the Athletes of the Nation elected a new member. Fifty percent plus one vote was necessary for the win, and the winner was decided in the first round. The members chose István Jónyer almost in full agreement, though they did not have an easy task since excellent athletes were in the top 10 list, said the Secretary of State for Sports, Tünde Szabó, after the election. “After the vote, we called István Jónyer. It was good to hear how happy he was and how he was a little moved. He was a dominant athlete in the 1970s; he won everything he could win, and if table tennis were an Olympic sport, he would surely be an Olympic champion as well."

On Nemzeti Sport Online, our readership polls have brought him out as the winner for years.

The final result of the Committee's vote is presented to the government by Tünde Szabó, after which, based on the sports law, the Hungarian government will decide on the royalty of the title and the annuity that comes with it, which has been 630,000 Forints (~1806 Euros) gross per month since 2015.

"There is a German proverb, ‘the bigger the choice, the harder it is to choose.' This decision was also tough because excellent athletes were on the list, added Pál Schmitt, a member of the Athletes of the Nation committee. “The choice was worthy of Hungarian sport, and the fact that it was decided in the first round shows that the decision made was clear. "

ISTVÁN JÓNYER: I'VE COME A LONG WAY
“I was on cloud nine when I found out that of the candidates who all deserved the win the same way with their fantastic successes, they chose me," István Jónyer, the Athlete of the Nation reacted to the news. "At first, I thought of the beginnings, the times in Miskolc, my carpenter father, and my mother working in the wire factory. I've come a long way to get here. I'm grateful to Ferenc Sidó and Elemér Gyetvai. I was fourteen years old when they noticed me at the training camp organized in the castle in Hernádnémeti. I also owe a lot to József Dankovics, the chief engineer of the Diósgyőr Machine Factory at the time, who brought us to the first division as DTVK's coach. Finally, I thank Zoltán Berczik. I, we achieved most remarkable success with the national team under his guidance. The plural pronoun is no coincidence. I also wouldn't be a 4-time world champion without Tibor Klampár and Gábor Gergely since I won in doubles with both of them, and we won the team gold in Pyongyang together.” M. Sz.

ISTVÁN JÓNYER – ABOUT
Born:August 4, 1950; Miskolc
Sport:table tennis
Caps:325
Clubs:Diósgyőri VTK (1963–1969), Bp. Spartacus (1969–1983), TTC Modica (Italy, 1983–1985), TTC Stockerau (Austria, 1985–1989)
Achievements:4-time World champion (singles, 1975; team: 1979; doubles: 1971, 1975),3-time World Championships runner-up(doubles: 1973, 1979; team: 1981),World Championships third place (team: 1983),4-time European champion (doubles: 1972, 1974; team: 1978, 1982),4-time European Championships runner-up (singles: 1972, 1978; team: 1974; doubles: 1982),5-time European Championships third place (doubles: 1968, 1970, 1980; mixed doubles: 1972, 1980),2-time European Top 12 winner (1971, 1974),European Top 12 bronze medalist (1975),35-time Hungarian champion (1967–1982)
As sports director:Vice President of the Hungarian Table Tennis Association (1996), Head coach of the Hungarian national team (1997)
Awards:Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (1994), Prima Primissima Prize (2013), Hungarian Heritage Award (2014), Member of the European Table Tennis Hall of Fame (2015), Pro Urbe Budapest Prize (2015), Honorary citizen of Onga (2016), Honorary citizen of Miskolc (2017), Human Dignity Award (2018), Member of the Association of Immortal Hungarian Athletes (2020), Athlete of the Nation (2021)

Current Athletes of the Nation: András Balczó (modern pentathlon, 3-time Olympic champion), Tamás Faragó (water polo, Olympic champion), László Hammerl (sport shooting, Olympic champion), Mária Ivánkay (parasport, table tennis, 8-time Deaflympic champion), Jenő Kamuti (fencing, 2-time Olympic silver medalist), István Jónyer (table tennis, 4-time World Champion), Ágnes Keleti (gymnastics, 5-time Olympic champion), Zoltán Magyar (gymnastics, 2-time Olympic champion), Lajos Portisch (chess, Chess Olympiad winner), Ildikó Rejtő (fencing, 2-time Olympic champion), Pál Schmitt (fending, 2-time Olympic champion), and János Varga (wrestling, Olympic champion)