Today, the International Olympic Committee officially accepted the candidature of Budapest to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The rivals of Budapest in this competition are Hamburg, Los Angeles, Paris and Rome. It is a great honour for the Hungarian Olympic Committee to compete with such outstanding cities. Our efforts to win the right to host the very first Central-European Summer Olympic Games and to fulfill the century-old dream of the Hungarian Olympic Movement shall be made in a way that is worthy of Hungary, the city of Budapest and the Olympic traditions of our nation.
The chances of Budapest as a candidate city had been established by IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020, the historical reforms aiming the economic Games. With the Agenda 2020 the IOC had declared that instead of Olympic gigantism, the time has come for more economical, less expensive and more sensible editions of the Games. IOC’s decision is firm: there shall be less investment and smaller budgets needed for bidding and hosting. To achieve these goals, IOC offers a number of options: smaller towns can serve as Olympic sites besides the host city, events can be held in neighbouring countries for geographical and sustainability reasons, existing and temporary venues are highly preferred to completely new ones, terms of organising are more flexible and the IOC supports the organising committee with 1,7 billion USD. The reforms of the economical Games mean a real chance to middle-size metropolises. The cornerstone of our bid is the highest consideration of the environment and sustainability, while still placing the athletes in front.
Apart from the Agenda 2020, the city’s twenty years of development between 2004 and 2024 signifies the reality of the Games in Budapest. Between our joining the European Union in 2004 and the planned Budapest Olympic Games in 2024, an infrastructure development programme of 90 billion USD is being realised. New and renewed roads, public transportation, railways, highways - in 2024, the Hungarian infrastructure will be suitable for hosting an Olympic-scale event regardless of the Games. Thanks to the sports infrastructure development programme, the necessary venues will also be available regardless of our candidature. This way, no Olympic-specific construction will be needed without actually winning the right to host the Games – if IOC decides for Budapest, the following seven years after the elections will be sufficient to complete the infrastructure needed to organise the Games. The majority of these investments would be temporary venues – with permanent venues being built only if their after-Games utilization is needed and fits into the long-term development plans of Budapest and the country.
The feasibility study has proven that Hungary is indeed capable of hosting the Olympic Games, organising such an event can indeed pay off, and that Hungary indeed has a chance winning the hosting rights. Transportation and tourism develop further. The preparations and the organisation itself create workplaces, the income of the country, its people and its companies increase, the culture of cooperation becomes stronger, the Olympic Games can be a common goal and a common success for all.
Hungary is a proud Olympic nation. The International Olympic Committee had a Hungarian founder, Ferenc Kemény. The Hungarian Olympic Committee was founded in 1895 – ours is one of the oldest NOCs in the world. We always participated in the Games when the country had the freedom of decision. Hungary is placed eighth on the overall Olympic medal table – the only one among the first ten countries who has not yet had the possibility to host the Games. Our champions and the Olympics occupy a very special place in the Hungarian hearts. This is shown by a life-long financial recognition, unmatched in the world, provided by the Hungarian state for Hungarian Olympic medallists and their coaches.
We set out for this competition standing a good chance, we will compete with humbleness and persistence. Go Hungary!
For more information, contact:
Vasvári Ferenc
Head coordinator of Press
t: (+36-1) 386 8000
f: (+36-1) 386-9670
m: (+36-30) 9516-602
e: vasvari.ferenc@mob.hu
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