Olympics in Hungary – a real possiblity or a pipe dream?

In 2015, the idea of having the Olympics in Hungary became a real possibility. However, two years later, in a major political upheaval, those hopes died. This article takes a look at what happened then, how much would the Hungarian Olympics have cost, and if there is any chance that the Olympic flame will ever burn in Budapest.

In a recent interview, the president of the Hungarian Olympic Committee, Zsolt Gyulay, told the Hungarian sports magazine Nemzeti Sport that Hungary “could host a hundred times better Olympics. In organisation, transport, accommodation, access, and venues. I am absolutely confident about that.”

Hosting the Olympics can be a source of national pride, not to mention the fact that the Games can generate significant revenue for a country: around 9 million tickets were sold for the Paris Olympics and, according to Világgazdaság, the event could “generate at least EUR 6.7 billion, or EUR 11.14 billion in the best-case scenario, in economic stimulus for the Paris region,” with 150,000 to 180,000 jobs linked to it, as well. From this perspective, it makes sense to want to organise the biggest sporting event in the world.

NOlympics campaign sets a new party on course

In 2015, the governing Fidesz and Jobbik jointly voted to bid to organise the 2024 Olympics in Hungary, with the opposition rejecting the idea. The proposal was short-lived, however: in January 2017, the Momentum Movement started collecting signatures to call for a referendum on the matter.

Their campaign was named NOlympics (NOlimpia in Hungarian), and, backed by several opposition parties, collected a total of 266,151 signatures in 30 days, making it possible to hold a referendum on the question: “Do you agree that the Municipality of Budapest should withdraw its bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games?”

Activists collecting signatures in Budapest. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Seeing the lack of public support for the Olympics in Hungary, on 22 February, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungarian Olympic Committee President Zsolt Borkai, and Budapest Mayor István Tarlós decided that Budapest would withdraw from the bid.

Orbán said at the time that Momentum “murdered a dream. It didn’t see it as too steep of a price to break into politics by killing the Olympic dreams of some people.”

How much would an Olympics in Hungary have cost?

Back in 2016, Portfolio examined how much it would have cost for Hungary to host the Olympic Games – a figure that since then has probably risen significantly. As the paper wrote, the original plan for the 2024 Olympics in Hungary would have seen the Games hosted in 16 venues in the capital and in several countryside cities.

The projected cost of the Budapest Olympics, based on a feasibility study, would have been HUF 1,074 billion (EUR 2.69 billion), but revenue from the secondary use of the buildings – such as converting Olympic village buildings into apartments and then selling them – would also have generated HUF 299 billion (EUR 750 million).

An interesting comparison is that in 2016, the 19 Olympic organisers since 1896 had an average economy 26 times larger than Hungary. Even Greece, which hosted the 2004 Olympics, had twice the total GDP of Hungary when it drew up its Olympic plans. In Hungary, Portfolio calculated that hosting the Olympics would have accounted for almost 10 percent of the annual GDP.

As Portfolio highlights, some of the infrastructure needed for the Olympics is temporary, while other buildings remain after the Games, which makes the responsibility of decision-makers particularly high. They need to consider not only how new buildings will change the skyline of a city and the direction of its development, but also how the remaining facilities can be used after the Olympics.

The Olympics Park in Budapest, Hungary. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Olympics in Hungary already in the works?

A VSquare newsletter shared back in June of this year that Hungary might revive its bid to host an upcoming Olympics. According to an unnamed source “connected to the Orbán government,” the government and Budapest have started backchannel communications about potentially hosting the Summer Games. The source claimed that the opposition leadership of the capital might be willing to support the Hungarian government’s proposal in exchange for infrastructure development funds.

As VSquare wrote, “the fact that Budapest’s liberal-green leadership is now also open to supporting a bid demonstrates their effort to secure financial support for the cash-strapped capital in an increasingly right-wing political climate.”

At the same time, VSquare cited an official working for Mayor Karácsony, who stated that there was no direct communication between the government and their office. “We expect that the topic will soon be discussed [officially]. Everything that is a prerequisite for hosting an Olympic Games is also in the interest of the capital – infrastructure development such as roads, overpasses, public transportation, etc.,” the official said.

A new player has also entered the Hungarian political field that could reshape the Olympics discussion. Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party, which gained a significant number of seats in the Budapest city assembly, supports the Olympic bid – in a stark break from other opposition parties.

Either way, the earliest Hungary may host an Olympics is in 2036, although that date will likely be given to an Asian country. Therefore, the likeliest and earliest date for the Olympics in Hungary seems to be 2040 – if it is a possibility at all.

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