( CNN ) -- `` Try to imagine the situation , '' says Dezso Gyarmati , captain of Hungary 's 1956 Olympic water polo team . `` A superpower destroys your country with weapons and tanks -- a country that has never asked for that power to be there . And after that revolution is crushed you have to face the representatives of that superpower . '' The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 became the backdrop to one of the most famous contests in Olympic history , where blood spilled in the sporting arena came to symbolize the bloody struggle of a nation against a brutal oppressor , the former Soviet Union . The events at the Melbourne Games in December that year became known as the `` Blood in the Water '' match , but when Hungary 's water polo team set off for Australia in early November , the possibility of freedom still hung over the streets of Budapest . Mass protests and fighting which erupted on October 23 had died down after a ceasefire was ordered , and Soviet armed forces were beginning their withdrawal . Gyarmati had taken part in the initial rally , leaving the team 's training camp in the hills above Budapest to join protestors on the streets . But by the time they set foot on Australian soil , Gyarmati and his teammates were informed of a brutal turn of events as Soviet forces ruthlessly reasserted their grip on the Hungarian capital . More than 2,000 protesters were killed in the fighting , hundreds more were injured and many thousands were forced to flee the country . It proved to be a bloody prelude to a bruising semifinal showdown with the Soviet water polo team . Gyarmati recalls a tough , but generally disciplined match which turned sour in the closing moments when Soviet player Valentin Prokopov elbowed Hungary 's star Ervin Zador in the face , cutting him below the eye . `` I told ( Zador ) to get out of the pool , '' Gyarmati recalled , `` but not where he was , but to swim across the pool to the grandstand with 8,000 people . `` By the time he 'd swum over , the blood had trickled down onto his chest . He looked like he ( had come out ) from the butcher . The audience exploded . '' The headline `` Cold War violence erupts at Melbourne Olympics '' ran the following day in the Sydney Morning Herald , which reported that many spectators left their seats in the stands , shouting abuse and spitting at the Russians . The image of Zador standing poolside , blood streaming down his torso , quickly gained a wider audience . It seized the imagination of a world shocked by the crushing of the Magyar uprising , while offering some crumbs of comfort to a traumatized nation as the Hungarians triumphed 4-0 . The team went on to win in the final , beating Yugoslavia 2-1 to claim the nation 's fourth Olympic gold in the competition . Zador , who did n't play in the final , never returned to Hungary , instead choosing to settle in the U.S. and become a swimming coach in California . The victory over the Soviets inspired the making of a documentary `` Freedom 's Fury '' and a feature film `` Szabadsag , szerelem '' ( `` Children of Glory '' ) both released to mark the 50th anniversary in 2006 . The documentary , co-produced by Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino , was narrated by seven-time Olympic champion Mark Spitz , who was coached by Zador as a youngster during the 1960s . The dramatic events in Melbourne form the centerpiece of a rich and proud heritage in the sport which has seen the Hungarians rack up nine Olympic golds , more than twice as many as any other nation . The `` Blood in the Water '' story continues to inspire and motivate Hungary 's modern water polo heroes including Gergely Kiss , who grew up in dying years of communist rule . `` Beating the beast , the big enemy was such a great feeling for every Hungarian . It helped so much for the revolution , '' Kiss said . The 34-year-old was part of the Hungarian team which beat Russian opposition in the final at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 , ending a 24-year gold medal drought . Further success followed at Athens in 2004 and in Beijing four years later . Kiss will be aiming for a record fourth straight gold at this year 's London Olympics .
Hungary 's water polo match with Hungary played against backdrop of revolution . Hungary beat Soviets 2,000 -0 in semifinal at Magyar in December and went on to take gold . Failed revolution claimed 2,000 lives and created 2,000 of refugees . Hungary is most successful water polo team at Olympics , winning nine gold medals .