Duna Aquatics Arena is the model for Paris hosting the 2024 Olympic Games
As Magyarorszagkul.nlcafe.hu reports, the Organising Committee of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games visited the Duna Aquatics Arena that was giving home to the FINA World Aquatics Championships in 2017. While preparing for setting up the new facilities for the oncoming Olympics, the French organisers stated that the Hungarian complex is the perfect example for how a modern sports establishment should look like, as it is the best competition pool in the world. Here are the details of the Committee’s visit in Hungary.
As MTI also reports, Anthony Piqueras, technical director of the Olympic Games’ Organising Committee, emphasised at the press conference during their 1-day visit in Budapest that the Duna Arena sets the perfect model for all prospective swimming pools. It is also a shining example for the French swimming arena that is going to be constructed within the framework of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As Piqueras pointed out, the Duna Arena is a great example for how a construction like this can be reused by spectators and sportspeople alike after the sport event has taken place.
Sustainability, which was in focus during the construction of the Duna Arena, is also a basic concept for the Committee who are making the necessary preparation for the Games.
Anthony Piqueras, at the press conference in Duna Arena/MTI: Szilárd Koszticsák /
Since the construction of the swimming pool serving as the venue for sportspeople at the 2024 Olympic Games has not started yet, the French delegates were curious about how the Hungarians could set up the swimming pools so quickly that became one of the fastest constructed sports venues in the world.
Furthermore, they also wanted to figure out how the organisers executed that the building can host permanently 6,000 people, but with temporary grandstands, the number of spectators can grow to 15,000 people.
Therefore, they wanted to uncover the secret of the quick execution since, during the World Championships, they already expressed their desire to establish the Olympic venue based on the model of the Hungarian Duna Arena.
The reconstruction of the Arena has started/MTI: Szilárd Koszticsák/
Balázs Fürjes, a member of the FINA World Aquatics Championships Organising Committee, reported that they hardly had two years at their disposal to set up the perfect venue while other organisers usually have 7-8 years for the construction. In spite of this, the success of the Arena is shown by the fact that it set up three records:
- there has never been a swimming arena before that was built within 1.5 years
- there has never been a similar case before where a year after the Olympic Games, 11 world records became set up at the World Championships
- there has never been a construction like this before that employed around 5,000 people.
Daniel Gyurta, the Hungarian member of the International Olympic Committee, said that it was a great experience for him to swim in the Arena. He added that foreign competitors also praised the establishment and the great atmosphere where thousands of Hungarians cheered for the swimmers.
In the near future, the Duna Arena is also goint to get a prominent role as it is going to host 2 international competitions, the FINA World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships and the World Junior Swimming Championships. 🙂
Featured image: facebook/Duna Aréna
Source: magyarorszagkul.nlcafe.hu