Opposition speaks out against Budapest Olympic bid

Budapest, September 28 (MTI) – The opposition Socialist and LMP parties on Wednesday reiterated their position on Budapest’s bid to host the 2024 Olympics, saying that staging the Games was against the capital’s interest.

Socialist Budapest deputy Csaba Horváth told a news conference that instead of supporting the Olympic bid, the Budapest Assembly should address the issue of the capital’s “broken-down hospitals and abandoned schools”.

“We Budapesters aren’t any stupider than the people of Rome. If they were able to recognise their interests then we should also recognise ours,” Horváth said, referring to Rome’s decision to withdraw its own Olympic bid.

LMP councillor Antal Csárdi said that the government took the citizens of Budapest “for fools”, arguing that a proposal to amend and add to the list of venues where the capital would organise the Games did not increase the planned costs for staging the event.

“It was no accident that Rome withdrew its bid,” Csárdi told a press conference, adding that Budapest should first deal with more important issues such as securing replacement buses that will be needed during the renovation of the third metro line.

The metropolitan general assembly later approved the amended list of proposed venues for the 2024 Olympics. Under the new plan, the opening and closing ceremonies would be held in the Puskás Ferenc Stadium while the main press and media zone would be at the Hungexpo site. The document passed by the assembly said the amendments will make it cheaper to host the event.

Photo: www.facebook.com/Budapest2024

Source: MTI