Hungarian FM Szijjártó: UN declares May 19 World Fair Play Day thanks to Hungary
It is thanks to Hungary that the UN General Assembly unanimously has declared May 19 World Fair Play Day, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said, noting that the International Fair Play Committee is holding its gala in Budapest on Monday.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that Hungary has notched up a global achievement by having the UN General Assembly unanimously declare May 19 World Fair Play Day,” a ministry statement quoted the minister as saying, noting that the initiative was the government’s.
“This, despite the division of the world into blocs,” he said. “Talking the language of sport, we have managed to bring a little unity into world politics,” he added.
Sports ministers from various countries are taking part, including Serbian sports minister Zoran Gajic and Russia’s Mikhail Degtyarev, Szijjártó said, noting that he would meet them in the afternoon.
Olympic champion Dániel Gyurta, head of the ministry’s sports diplomacy department, was elected to the council of the International Fair Play Committee on Monday, he added.
Szijjártó said mixing sports and geopolitics was “damaging” and to be avoided, adding that competitions were only total if representatives of all nations were permitted to compete.
Russian and Belarusian competitors were in Budapest last year for the swimming world championships short course events. “We hope that this year’s judo world championships will be no different,” he added.
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