Tamás Széchy

Tamás Széchy (Doboz, 27 March 1931, Budapest – 13 September 2004) was a Hungarian swimming trainer.

Life He came into contact with swimming in 1962, when he started working for the water polo team of the Central Sports and Youth Association (KSI) at the request of Dezső Gyarmati. In January 1967, he founded the KSI swimming department, of which he became head coach until 1976. His method was to visit the surrounding schools, look for those who wanted to swim, and work with the more talented ones separately. They trained in the 25-meter pool of the Császár Bath. András Hargitay stood out from this team, who was first recognized at the international level at the European Youth Championships, where he became a two-time champion. The first Olympic success is also linked to Hargitay, who won a bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley at the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 1969, he organized the age group competition system for swimming in Hungary (the so-called age group system). In the early 1970s, the successes came continuously, and Széchy's students (primarily Hargitay and Verrasztó) brought home medals from every international competition. The first Olympic gold medal can be attributed to Sándor Wladár, who won the gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The real…Citește mai mult

Allegations of sexual abuse His former student Tamás Füzesy stated that he was sexually abused by Széchy and that Széchy often verbally and physically abused his students. After the biography Élet – Mű – Örökség (written by András Hargitay, Csaba Sós, and Ákos Tóth) was published about him in May 2025, Tamás Batházi – brother of swimmer István Batházi – said that twenty of Széchy's former students reached out to him regarding their abuses. The Hungarian Swimming Association set up an investigation committee regarding the allegations. The printing of the biography has been halted. Batházi also claimed that the 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medalist (and president of the Hungarian Swimming Association when the book was published in 2025), Sándor Wladár, had a sexual relationship with Széchy before turning 18. Wladár has denied this, and stated that people should focus on Széchy's legacy instead.