Hungary FM Calls for Action Against Weaponizing Sports

The international community must take a firm stand against discrimination in sports and must not allow this issue to be mixed with geopolitics—especially since sports are among the most potent tools for building peace, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto said Friday in Samarkand.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MTI)

According to the ministry’s statement, Peter Szijjarto addressed the General Conference of UNESCO in Uzbekistan, where he spoke out against the growing tendency to intertwine sports with geopolitics. He emphasized that this runs completely counter to Hungary’s way of thinking, as sports should unite nations and foster peace—not division.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto: The international community must take action against discrimination in sports (Photo: JAKUB PORZYCKI / ANADOLU)
 

We believe that sports should bring the world together, not drive it apart. That’s why UNESCO must take a stand against discrimination in sports. No athlete should ever be held responsible for the decisions of political leaders, nor should they be forced into political statements. Individual performance should be the only metric of qualification,

according to FM Szijjarto.

The minister underscored that as an Olympic nation, Hungary finds it especially painful to see discrimination now extending even to participation in the Olympic Games.

We Hungarians are talking from experience: In 1984, the Communist Party barred Hungarian athletes from taking part in the Los Angeles Olympics (...) We do not want today’s international sports organizations to follow that same communist method,

he said, urging:

Both UNESCO and the United Nations must ensure that sports once again become an instrument of peace, and urged immediate action to eliminate discrimination from international competition.

The Foreign Minister reaffirmed that Hungarians regard sports as an essential part of their national heritage and identity, highlighting the global legacy of legendary footballer Ferenc Puskas and the Golden Team.

As the centenary of Ferenc Puskas’s birth approaches, Hungary has proposed that UNESCO include the anniversary in its list of commemorative years for 2026–2027. I trust that the General Conference will support this initiative,

he stated.

Turning to the persecution of religious communities, Szijjarto declared that Hungary, as a proudly Christian nation, is deeply concerned by the growing number of attacks against Christians worldwide, noting that Christianity has now become the most persecuted religion on Earth.

He warned that religious freedom is being threatened not only by terrorist groups and extremist ideologies, but also by the aggressive secularization of the liberal mainstream, calling this trend “unacceptable.”

We call on the international community, including the United Nations and its organizations, to stand up against the persecution of religious communities—including Christians,

he urged.

Szijjarto emphasized that Hungary is actively contributing to this cause, having implemented development and humanitarian projects in 64 countries, helping more than two million people remain in their homelands instead of being forced to flee.

The foreign minister sharply condemned what he described as a new form of modern antisemitism that has emerged in Western Europe as a consequence of mass illegal migration, leading to the rise of no-go zones, parallel societies, and increasing gang violence.

In Hungary, we apply zero tolerance toward antisemitism. We are proud to provide a safe home here in Central Europe for the Jewish community,

he emphasized.

In closing, Szijjarto warned that humanity is living in an age of danger, where possibility of a third world war can no longer be dismissed as unrealistic. Therefore, he said, every effort must be made to promote peace. “And I can promise you,” he concluded, “that Hungary will remain an active supporter of every peace-building initiative carried out under the framework of the United Nations.”

Cover photo: Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MTI)