Old World Budapest Readies as 2024 Spoiler -- OpEd

(ATR) Budapest is a longshot for the 2024 Olympics. So was Beijing for 2022.

In a world where anything can happen, the IOC is fortunate to have this gentle city on the Danube as a candidate for 2024.

This is the city's seventh bid for an Olympic Games. In addition to perseverance, Budapest brings old world charm, a sports legacy, infrastructure, and the opportunity for a more modest Games footprint than what rivals Los Angeles and Paris propose.

In a world where anything can -- and does -- happen, the humble pluses of the Hungarian capital are a comfort to any who might worry about the viability of either the U.S. or French bid ahead of the IOC vote next September.

This vein of thought is made possible by the volatility of the cities that have bid for Summer or Winter Olympics, only to have crashed out of the race well before the final laps. Two months ago, Rome became the latest to crash and burn, which is the reason we are down from four to three cities in this 2024 campaign.

Could the field shrink further? Not to wish any misfortune but natural disasters, terrorist attacks and political meltdowns are all part of a world where anything can happen.

An earthquake in California. A political earthquake in France. Terrorist attacks in either place. Far less precipitous events have derailed Olympic bids in the past, although it probably would take an unlikely calamity to unseat Los Angeles or Paris. Whether one or both go, Budapest better be ready.

Fortunately, the bid is operating from the perspective that Budapest is the right city at the right time for the Olympic Games, and not as a safety net for the 2024 campaign, which it has become with the withdrawal of Rome.

Seven bids for the Games in Budapest come from the long history of Hungary at the Olympics. Its first was for the 1896 Games held in Athens. Budapest will host the 2017 FINA World Championships in a new venue, part of the growing collection of existing facilities that give credence to a 2024 bid.

Logistical shortcomings may loom the largest for Budapest. Most travelers from outside Europe will need to make connecting flights. Accommodations are a fraction of the number in Paris or Los Angeles. Budapest organizers suggest with some innocence that river cruise barges could add to the supply.

And just as politics can come into play for Paris or Los Angeles, Budapest needs its underpinnings of national government support to remain buttoned up. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a staunch bid supporter, has been invited to the U.S. to meet with President Donald Trump. The two men are noted for their views on migrants.

Within sport, Hungary has a festering dispute in the Hungarian Swimming Association. Gold medal phenom Katinka Hosszu and other top competitors are openly challenging the rule of president Tamas Gyarfas, who has led the association since 1993. The dispute is drawing the attention of the government, which hopes the matter is settled without a rupture for the bid.

For all of its blessings, Budapest still must move carefully to preserve its place in the race with two formidable opponents. If Budapest is ready, opportunity could strike in the same way that’s led to victories around the world for other election underdogs of the past year. In other words, Budapest -- make your luck.

It’s a world where anything can happen.

Written by Ed Hula.