Szvetiszláv Sasics

During his primary school years Szvetiszláv Sasics practiced fencing and athletics. When he was 10- years-old his family moved to Budapest. Sasics first took up water polo, but in an unusual turn, he switched to swimming, which he pursued competitively, first with Bp. Spartacus from 1964, then from 1966 with Bp. Honvéd. In 1967 he began training in modern pentathlon with Újpesti Dózsa. Two years later he became a junior national champion, by which time he was competing for Csepel SC. Sasics changed affiliations again in 1972, and when he joined the national team in 1973, he was once again representing Budapest Honvéd.

The 1975 World Championships were held in Mexico City where Sasics and his team stood on the top step of the podium. As a result they travelled to the Olympic Games in Montréal the following year as one of the favourites. They won the bronze medal in the team event, while Sasics finished 18th individually. In 1978 he was named Pentathlete of the Year in Hungary. That same year at the World Championships he placed fifth with the team and sixth individually. In 1980 the national team captain Ferenc Török was focusing primarily on younger athletes, so Sasics was not included in the squad preparing for the Moskva Olympics, leading him to retire.

Before his retirement Sasics earned his fencing master’s certificate from the University of Physical Education in 1977, followed later by a degree as a physical education teacher. From 1980 he taught at the Academy of Theatre and Film Arts and worked as a stuntman. In 1992 he became a primary school teacher and later a hotel supervisor. Between 1998 and 2000 Sasics then worked in the medical department of the Buda Training Camp. During this time he studied massage therapy, a profession in which he truly found himself and his calling, with him working as a message therapist from 2000 onwards.