Sarolta Monspart (HUN) atop of the podium at the World Orienteering Championships 1972
Sarolta Monspart from Hungary, who won the World Orienteering Championship in 1972, has passed away at the age of 76 following a long period of illness. She was the first Hungarian World Orienteering Champion and first non-Scandinavian woman to win the title. She also won a Silver medal in the relay at the World Orienteering Championships in 1970 and a Bronze medal in the relay at the World Orienteering Championships in 1976, both times running the final leg for Hungary. She was a multi-talented athlete, with 34 national titles in orienteering and 6 in cross-country skiing and was the first European women to run the marathon in a time under 3 hours.
Sarolta Monspart was an important contributor to orienteering and to sports in her home nation also after her active career. She was a member of the IOF Council between 1982 and 1996, including a period as Vice President, and received an IOF Silver Pin recognizing her contribution to international orienteering in 1996. She was coach of the Hungarian national orienteering team between 1980 and 1990, and in 2012 she was elected Vice President of the Hungarian Olympic Committee. In her role there, she was highly engaged in promoting sports and a healthy lifestyle. In 2003 she received a medal for lifetime merit from Hungarian President Ferenc Mádl, and in 2020 she was appointed Athlete of the Nation.
The IOF celebrates the life and achievements of a champion in our sport and mourns her loss.