Referendum Possible on Budapest 2024 Olympic Bid

(ATR) Bid leader Balazs Furjes says a public vote on Hungary’s Olympic ambitions could happen in the spring, if enough people sign a petition to activate a referendum.

Furjes told a small media briefing in Budapest that the mayor, city and government were open to the possibility but it was not a requirement.

"The referendum is definitely not a must. It’s simply an opportunity for people to express their opinion. We always suggest, let’s leave the decision to the people. Let them decide if they want to have a referendum or not," Budapest’s bid chief said.

Under Hungary’s constitutional rules, 10 percent of the voting population of Budapest, or 140,000 people, would need to sign a petition in order to initiate a referendum. Signatures would need to be collected in 30 days once a referendum question was set.

"If they want to have a referendum, we will have a referendum and then it will be binding for all of us. Everybody must respect the decision of the people. It is a representative democracy," Furjes said.

News of a potential referendum on Budapest’s bid will send alarm bells ringing at the IOC following the ‘No’ vote in a public poll that killed Hamburg’s 2024 dream last month.

A small anti-Olympics group is gathering support in Budapest, according to Furjes. If it is mobilized properly, the group could legally start collecting signatures in January. If 140,000 people signed the petition, their signatures would then need to be validated before the city council could call a referendum. Furjes suggested that a referendum was possible in the spring if such a scenario materialized.

But he believes the anti-Olympics lobby will struggle to force a referendum. The bid boasts more than 90 percent cross-party support in the city council and over 80 percent in Parliament. Furjes also points to the results of this month’s IPSOS opinion poll which found that 60 percent of people Budapest would welcome the 2024 Olympics.

"My personal opinion given the previous initiatives on national or local issues… it’s challenging to have the number of signatures collected for this issue in 30 days," he said.

Bid Company Forming

Budapest 2024’s current focus is the formation of a bid company and delivery of the first questionnaire to the IOC covering vision, Games concept and strategy by the Feb. 16 deadline.

Last week, a tripartite cooperation agreement was inked between the government, NOC and the city council. An athletes’ commission for the bid is a key part of the structure.

Furjes said the ‘Guardians of the Olympic bid’, which are providing oversight and strategic direction, will hold their first meeting Jan. 14. The bid company will be up and running in February, Furjes confirmed.

Of the four bids left in the 2024 race, Budapest has taken its time to establish a bid company and bring consultants on board compared to Los Angeles, Paris and Rome.

But Furjes rejected the notion that Budapest was in any sense languishing behind its rivals.

"I think the most important thing is that the job gets done, that you have a good vision and that you have a good masterplan," he said.

Commenting on the Feb. 16 submission deadline, he said: "I am sure we will deliver an adequate vision and masterplan to the IOC. There are different ways of working. We have our own way. I am sure we will do our best to meet all deadlines and have a fantastic vision and Games plan."

Furjes echoed the comments of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, who on Tuesday said bringing the Olympics to Budapest would be a boon for the region.

"It’s time for the first central European Olympic Games," he said.

Speaking at celebrations to mark the Hungarian NOC’s 120th anniversary, Orban said that selecting Budapest would put a new city, country and region "on the Olympic map".

"2024 will be 35 years after shaking off the shackles of oppression and celebrating our freedom," he said, referring to the end of the communist regime in 1989. "It would be a pinnacle of the historic process."

Reported by Mark Bisson

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