In The Sports Pages: Chanoch Tests Zsolt's Patience

Hungary's profile in the high-stakes world of Grand Prix auto racing was raised a bit last week when perennial back-of-the-gridders Minardi announced the appointment of one Chanoch Nissany as a test driver. (Here's a link to their website, though be warned that it is even slower than their cars.) This is more interesting than it sounds for several reasons, the first being that, while Israeli, Nissany is based in Budapest. It is also odd given that he is 41 - most Formula 1 drivers are not much more than half his age - and he only recently starting racing cars. Finally, it is slightly awkward given that the team has yet to announce whether it will re-sign Zsolt Baumgartner for another year. Neither Nissany nor Baumgartner is considered to possess much talent, meaning that that unlike Michael Schumacher and most other drivers in F1 from richer countries in Western Europe and beyond, Hungary's daredevils have to pay for the right to risk breaking their necks. Baumgartner, whom we briefly met last year at a local go-karting event, seems like a nice guy, and we hope he finds the money required to enjoy another year or two driving around the world in circles. (From what we hear, he needs something north of €5 million.) If not, well, we'll see you at the go-kart track, Zsolt, and the first race is on us.

• Hungarian water polo squads Domino BHSE and Vasas defeated Russia's Csehov and Serbia's Nis on Saturday, further strengthening Hungary's reputation for excellence in this most manly of slightly girly sports.
• According to unnamed sources, as few as seven spectators were on hand to watch last week's match between the Hungarian national squad and Saudi Arabia in Istanbul's Olympic Stadium. It was the Hungarian team's first match in 2005. Index.hu said Hungary "barely moved" during the match and called the 0-0 result "pathetic."

More action-packed sports action after the jump...

• A recently-announced plan to organize the 2006 European Swimming Championship on Margit Island is taking on water due to a bubbling scandal over the assignment of two hectare of land on the island park to the anonymous developer charged with enlarging the Hajós Alfréd National Swimming Pool.
• Someone called in a bomb threat after a cancelled match between UK teams Bolton and Crystal Palace, whose goalkeeper is Hungarian Gábor Király. According to today's Blikk, no one was hurt in the incident, which isn't so surprising given that the bomb threat turned out to be all threat and no bomb.
• Hungarian ping-pong whiz Krisztina Tóth came in second in the "Europe Top 12" Table Tennis Championship, which was held in France, though we're not sure when, because none of the papers that mentioned the event bothered to say. Still, good for you Kriszta.

Finally, the manager of Hungary's National football team, Lothar Matthäus, was quoted by Blikk today saying he really wants his players to act like "sportsmen." He made a list of how he thinks they should live, and what they should do to become role models for Hungary's legions of foci fans.

• He must become a role model
• He must live and give interviews following this code
• He must wear the national colors proudly
• He must only think of football
• He must not take it easy when training
• He must give his all when on the field

And, we might add, that he should never call in a bomb threat, even if the game has already been canceled.