Oszkár Csuvik

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games • Coach
SexMale
Full nameOszkár•Csuvik
Used nameOszkár•Csuvik
Other namesOscar Charles, Oscar Fleming
Born28 March 1925 in Budapest, Budapest (HUN)
Died13 October 2008 in Sydney, New South Wales (AUS)
AffiliationsMTK, Budapest (HUN)
NOC Australia Hungary
Medals OG
Gold 0
Silver 1
Bronze 0
Total 1

Biography

Oszkár Czuvik played water polo for Hungary at the 1948 Olympics, but stayed in England after the Games, one of the first Olympic athletes to defect. In Hungary his father had been killed during World War II by the Nazis, run over by a truck. His mother and the kids worked for the Hungarian resistance and hid a Jewish family friend in their flat throughout the war. Czuvik was a strong swimmer and when the Nazis shot people and threw them into the Danube, he often swam out to rescue them or at least return the bodies to the families.

After two years in England, Czuvik emigrated to Australia, where he took the name Oscar Fleming to hide his identity but changed it officially to Oscar Charles in 1964. He coached water polo in Australia, coaching the 1952 Australian Olympic team. In 1956 Charles worked as a radio commentator at the Melbourne Olympics. Charles worked as an accountant in Australia, after having started study for a law degree in Hungary after the war. In 1956 he married Dr. Pamela Tinslay, a veterinary surgeon, but the marriage later broke up. He retired from accounting in 1980 and worked for several years as a consultant and a translator.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1948 Summer Olympics Water Polo (Aquatics) HUN Oszkár Csuvik
Water Polo, Men (Olympic) Hungary 2 Silver

Coaching results

Games Sport (Discipline) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1952 Summer Olympics Water Polo (Aquatics) AUS Oszkár Csuvik
Water Polo, Men (Olympic) Australia =17

Olympic family relations

Special Notes