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An élite group of European lawmakers have stood out in both the Olympic and political arenas.
With the Paris Olympics almost crossing its finishing line, most will return to work with no more than a hangover caused by too much spectating over the summer.For some lawmakers the transition from the thrill of the Olympics podium to the slog of the EU policy schedule came with an added twist, since they actually competed in an Olympic Games.It’s not uncommon for political parties to leverage the fame of former athletes to gain votes, and several lawmakers have had impressive sports backgrounds. MEPs belonging to this select band of former Olympians hail from Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia, and participated in fencing, hockey, and football.Here are their stories.Pál Szekeres, hero of the two worldsOlympianfrom 1988 to 2008; MEP from 2024 (Hungary/Patriots for Europe) Sport: fencing (foil, sabre)The Hungarian is an authentic Olympic hero, being the only athlete ever to have won both an Olympic and a Paralympic medal. He first won a bronze in the team foil event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.After a bus accident left him using a wheelchair, he participated in five consecutive Paralympics, winning three gold and three bronze medals, and becoming one of the most successful Paralympic athletes in fencing history.After holding several government and administrative posts, he made his way from fencing to the European Parliament this summer, running for Orbán’s party Fidesz. Once in Strasbourg, he found it much harder to secure a top job due to the cordon sanitaire against far-right groups than winning an Olympic medal. Indeed he was prevented from becoming a Parliament questor despite his distinguished career as affiliated to Orbán’s Patriot for Europe group.Pietro Mennea, arrow of the SouthOlympianfrom 1972 to 1988; MEP from 1999 to 2004 (Italy/ELDR, EPP, non-attached) Sport: sprinter (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay)An authentic legend in Italy, Pietro Mennea is remembered as one of the best runners of all time. A key annual athletic gala is named after him, and he was the country’s flag bearer at the 1988 Seoul Olympic opening ceremony.Mennea qualified for four consecutive 200-meter Olympic finals from 1972 to 1984 and won a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which the US boycotted.Most importantly, he set a world record of 19.72 seconds for the 200m in 1979 which stood for almost 17 years before Michael Johnson broke it at the 1996 US Olympic Trials.Mennea was elected as an MEP in 1999, joining the group of the European Liberal, Democrat, and Reform party (the forerunner of the liberal ALDE group, now Renew Europe). He later moved to the EPP and finished his term as non-attached. Among his activities, he was the rapporteur on a Parliament resolution on sport voted by the plenary in September 2000.Peter Šťastný, Red Star renegadeOlympianin 1980 (with Czechoslovakia) and 1992 (with Slovakia); MEP from 2004 to 2014 (Slovakia/EPP) Sport: Ice hockeyKnown as ‘Peter the Great’ Šťastný is a legendary athlete from Slovakia, renowned also in Canada as one of the all-time greats of ice hockey. Born in Communist Czechoslovakia in 1956, he and his brothers, Anton and Marián, became stars after winning the World Championships in 1976 and 1977.All three were forwards – with Peter playing centre, Marián on the left wing, and Anton on the right – and all competed for Czechoslovakia in the 1980 Winter Olympics, finishing fifth.The brothers fled through the Iron Curtain to Canada in 1980 and joined the Quebec Nordiques in the National Hockey League (NHL). Peter became fluent in French and English and gained Canadian citizenship.After Czechoslovakia dissolved, Šťastný competed for Slovakia in the 1994 Winter Olympics and was the country’s flag bearer. An anti-communist, he later entered politics, running for the then-Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda’s party and becoming an MEP. Re-elected in 2009, he co-signed a 2008 declaration condemning communism, leading to the adoption of a European Day in memory for victims of Stalinism and Nazism.Rivera and Boniperti, Italian football’s hall of fameGiampiero Boniperti: Olympian in 1952: MEP from 1994 to 1999 (Italy/EPP)Giovanni Rivera: Olympian in 1960; MEP from 2005 to 2009 (Italy/non-attached)Sport: FootballMany may not know that two of the most famous Italian footballers of all time, Giampiero Boniperti and Gianni Rivera, were also MEPs and participated in the Olympics.Boniperti, a legend with Juventus both on the pitch and as an executive, played two games in the Helsinki 1952 Summer Olympics. Besides being one of Serie A’s top scorers, he was a successful sports manager for Juventus and Turin’s main athletic sports club, where he oversaw athletes like high jumper Sara Simeoni and fellow MEP Olympian Pietro Mennea.Gianni Rivera started his professional career with Alessandria in Italy’s second division. His performances earned him a spot on the national team at the Rome Summer Olympics, where he helped Italy to a fourth-place finish, scoring three goals in five matches. Nicknamed the “Golden Boy” by his fans, Rivera led Italy to victory in the 1968 Euros and won the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 1969.In 2005, Rivera became an MEP joining the non-attached. Despite a 73% attendance rate and over 241 sitting days from 2005 to 2009, he didn’t leave a significant mark in the European Parliament. Similarly, Boniperti, who served on the Culture committee, did not achieve notable recognition as a European lawmaker.Pál Schmitt, Orbán’s fencerOlympianfrom 1968 to 1976; MEP from 2004 to 2014 (Hungary/EPP)Sport: fencing (épée)Another Hungarian fencer on the list, Pál Schmitt, won team gold medals at the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games and competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.After retiring from competition at 35, he remained active in the sports world, becoming the Secretary General of the Hungarian Olympic Committee in 1983 and later its President after the fall of communism. He also held various posts in the International Olympic Committee.Alongside his sports career, Schmitt worked in diplomacy, serving as Hungary’s Ambassador to Spain from 1993 to 1997 and to Switzerland from 1999 to 2002. A close ally of Viktor Orbán, Schmitt was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 on the Fidesz list. After being re-elected, he became Vice-President of the European Parliament.In 2010, Schmitt shifted his focus to Hungarian politics, becoming President of the Hungarian Parliament. Shortly after, in August, he was elected President of Hungary, a largely ceremonial role. His political career hit a bump in 2012 when a plagiarism scandal involving his doctoral thesis on the modern Olympic Games came to light, leading to his resignation as President of Hungary.
