Budapest will host the 2022 World Aquatic Championships!

Vágólapra másolva!

2022.02.07. 23:27

Címkék

FINA, the International Swimming Federation, announced on Monday that the 2022 World Championships will be held this year not at the originally planned venue in Fukuoka, but in Budapest!

As we reported, it was decided on Monday morning that Hungary will host the 2022 World Aquatics Championships instead of Fukuoka, Japan, which was scheduled and postponed for May. The competition lasts from June 18 to July 3, but not only in Budapest. The water polo tournament will be held in four locations – in addition to Budapest, Debrecen, Sopron and Szeged will be the venues. Open water swimming will be at Lake Lupa.

The events will only take place in existing facilities; the organizers will not build even temporary constructions. Therefore, for example, high diving is not included in the program. The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has significantly reduced royalties and has also committed to sending only a small delegation to the World Championships, thereby contributing to the reduction of costs. The World Championships are organized jointly by the Hungarian Swimming Federation (MÚSZ), the Hungarian Water Polo Federation (MVLSZ), and the National Sports Agency (NSÜ).

In the program, swimming and synchronized swimming are included in the first week, which will be followed by diving and open water swimming. The water polo tournament lasts for two weeks.Attila Vári, president of MVLSZ, said that the Hungarian national teams are in the Hajós Aquatics Complex in the group stage, but later, only matches in the knockout phase will be held there.

Head of the Organizing Committee and MÚSZ President Sándor Wladár called the hosting one of the biggest challenges of his life because he has only four months left to prepare. Wladár stressed that they do not want to compete with the wonderful event in 2017, but they will provide the usual high standards.

Attila Mihók,CEO of the National Sports Agency, highlighted that they are planning a sold-out event and expect more than 100,000 overnight stays, which could provide a flying start for tourism and all related businesses which suffered a lot during COVID. Also, it could generate significant state budget revenue. He added that they are adapting to the actual measures of the pandemic.

The starting pistol is fired, the World Championships starts in June.

**OPINIONS**
Sándor Wladár, President of the Hungarian Swimming Federation: "It is a great honor to announce that we will be the hosts of the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. Less than a week ago, it was revealed that Fukuoka would not be holding the already postponed events that was scheduled for May. Many athletes realized that the work they had done in the past weeks, months, or years could all go to waste. The Hungarian Swimming Federation and the Hungarian Water Polo Federation felt pressure from national and international athletes. We thought that Hungary and Budapest are brilliant venues with wonderful swimming complexes. Besides, Hungarians have proven many times that they love water sports, are good organizers, and are excellent hosts. We also know that swimmers, water polo players and other water sports representatives love to come to us. We immediately started negotiating with FINA, the International Swimming Federation. We could agree on everything, and since the common interests met, we earned a lot of financial benefits. Therefore, MÚSZ and MVLSZ made a proposal to the Government of Hungary, which was adopted to host the 19th World Aquatics Championships in Hungary between June 18 and July 3, 2022. Of course, this does not affect the right to host the 2027 World Championships. We can still host the competition that also provides accreditation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. I am convinced that even more powerful countries wouldn't receive FINA's trust, but in our case, all the infrastructure is ready. No new swimming pools, facilities, or pools will be built. This is why high diving is not included in the program, as it would entail significant costs for the construction of the tower. The cost-effective approach also means that the opening and closing ceremonies will be more modest and restrained, with which the four-month preparation deadline can be met. However, even then, athletes from 200 countries compete in five sports, with around 5,000 participants."
Katinka Hosszú, three-time Olympic champion and nine-time World champion swimmer: "I would approach this great news from an athlete's point of view: if someone asked me which medal was my favorite, I would say the medal I won at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest. I think the atmosphere of the spectators of Duna Aréna is in every competitor's memory. Looking back on that, I get excited already. Not only for Hungarians but all the nations of the world, it is a huge opportunity to have a World Championships this year. Any swimmer who was here five years ago would most likely say it was the best competition of their life. Everyone benefited from this decision. On the other hand, Hungarian swimmers can proudly walk among the world's swimmers. After all, our country provides a lifebelt for the second time because we were also "stepping in" for Guadalajara, Mexico in 2017."
Attila Vári, President of the Hungarian Water Polo Federation: "A domestic world championship is every athlete's dream. The most sacred thing is to play in front of our fantastic spectators, who have tremendous love for our team. This significant moment for us is the result of a very meaningful past week and international discussions. Many athletes and sports leaders contacted the Hungarian Water Polo Federation to say that the sport shouldn't be without a world championship. That is why we started the sports diplomacy negotiations, which resulted in the right to host. I would like to point out that this is not Budapest's world event, but the nation's as the water polo tournament will take place in four locations: Sopron, Szeged, Debrecen, and Budapest. We have reached an agreement with all the city mayors concerned."