Sorel-Arthur Kembe
NationalityCongolese
Birth date5 November 1975 (age 51)
Birth placeBudapest, Hungary
Height192 cm[1]
Weight94 kg[1]
SportFencing
Show-medalsyes

Sorel-Arthur Kembe (born 5 November 1975) is a Hungarian-born Congolese actor and former fencer. He competed in the individual sabre event at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

Early life

Sorel-Arthur Kembe was born on 5 November 1975 in Budapest, Hungary[12] to a Congolese father – who had come to Hungary for studies on printing – and a Hungarian mother from Magyarbánhegyes.[13] In 1987, when he was 12 years old, he started to fence at Budapesti Honvéd SE, coached by István Decsi, a former Hungarian fencing champion, whose son, András Decsi, a former European junior fencing champion, was Sorel-Arthur's fencing partner.[14] From 1987 to 1990, he lived with his mother in Paris, France, in an Arab neighbourhood where fights constantly happened in the playground. Speaking to Békés Megyei Hírlap, Kembe said: "But I have to thank that for teaching me how to fence, because they were always trying to beat me up." His father enrolled him in a fencing school 30 metres (98 ft) away from their apartment due to his hyperactivity.[13] In 1991, Kembe won a bronze medal at the Hungarian National Cadet Fencing Championship, and in 1992, he was a finalist at the World Cadets and Juniors Fencing Championships and also won a gold medal in team competition with György Boros and Andràs Decsi.[14]

Sports career

In 1993, Kembe was called up to the Hungarian team to participate in the World Fencing Championships, but after suffering an injury to his cruciate ligament, his "meteoric rise to prominence took a hit." During this time, due to perestroika and post-USSR changes, his club, Budapesti Honvéd SE, dissolved.[14] After high school, Kembe stopped training but started to train again after deciding to compete at the Olympic Games, explaining to Békés Megyei Hírlap that his decision came after he saw a swimmer nearly drown at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He stated: "I thought that if that guy could be there, somehow I could also make it to the next Olympic Games in Athens." However, due to a 10-year hiatus, he stated that he would not have had a chance at joining the Hungarian fencing team.[13] In 2003, he founded the Congolese Fencing Federation, made it internationally recognized, integrated it into the Congolese National Olympic and Sports Committee before having it join the International Olympic Committee, in addition to it becoming a full member of the International Fencing Federation,[13][14] allowing him to compete under the Congolese flag.[13]

Personal life

Kembe lives in Budapest, Hungary.[13] He has a daughter.[15] He often visits Békés County where his maternal grandparents and cousin live.[13]

References

  1. ^ "KEMBE SOREL-ARTHUR" (PDF). International Fencing Federation. Archived 10 July 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Sorel-Arthur Kembe Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  3. ^ Mavoula, Simon. "Sorel - Arthur Kembe : congolais et champion d’Afrique d’escrime" [Sorel - Arthur Kembe: Congolese and African fencing champion] (in fr-CD). Congopage. Archived 10 July 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  4. ^ Beni, Alexandra (25 January 2016). "Tropical Magazine – The fascinating encyclopaedia of Africa is now bilingual!". Daily News Hungary. Archived 3 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  5. ^ Gábor, Apats (5 November 2014). "Kembe Sorel a családja miatt hagyja ott a Jóban Rosszbant" [Kembe Sorel leaves Good and Bad for his family] (in Hungarian). ORIGO. Archived 10 July 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  6. ^ "'Ezek az emberek a sikertelenségüket vetítik rá másra' – Kembe Sorel-Arthur helyre tette azokat, akik a bőrszíne miatt bántották" ['These people project their failure onto others' – Kembe Sorel-Arthur made amends to those who hurt him because of his skin color] (in Hungarian). Metropol. 29 March 2023. Archived 30 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  7. ^ Gábor, Apats (4 March 2010). "Kembe Sorel-Arthur: Beszólogatnak most is, de nem érdekel" [Kembe Sorel-Arthur: They're still talking, but I don't care] (in Hungarian). ORIGO. Archived 19 February 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Síző ilyen lassú talán még sose volt" [A skier has probably never been this slow before.] (in Hungarian). 24.hu. 21 February 2015. Archived 6 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  9. ^ Rachel, Kiss (15 October 2020). "Kembe Sorel és Indián gyerekkoruk óta jóbarátok" [Kembe Sorel's confession about his friend] (in Hungarian). Blikk. Archived 18 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  10. ^ Tarrósy, István (1 June 2014). "African immigrants in Hungary: Connection with the new national foreign policy". Society and Economy. 36 (2): 296. doi:10.1556/SocEc.36.2014.2.8. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Interjú Kembe Sorel-Arthurral" [Interview with Kembe Sorel-Arthur] (in Hungarian). Afrika Tanulmányok Hungarian Journal of African Studies. 5 (3): 79-82. 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Sorel-Arthur Kembe". Olympedia. Archived 7 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  13. ^ Kata, Fekete G. (14 August 2009). "Egy bánhegyesi kongói" (in Hungarian). Békés Megyei Hírlap. Vol. 64, no. 190. p. 6. Retrieved 14 July 2025. – via Arcanum Newspapers
  14. ^ Mavoula, Simon (31 December 2004). "Sorel - Arthur Kembe : congolais et champion d’Afrique d’escrime" [Sorel - Arthur Kembe: Congolese and African fencing champion] (in fr-CD). Congopage. Archived 10 July 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  15. ^ Viktória, Vörös (29 December 2024). "Hogy mi? Osztrigát kóstoltat Kembe Sorel" [What? Kembe Sorel offers oyster tasting] (in Hungarian). Blikk. Archived 29 December 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 July 2025.