2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest

Great news: National Athletics Centre in Budapest is open to the general public – PHOTOS

National Athletics Centre in Budapest

The National Athletics Centre, renowned as the host venue of the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships, is now open to the public, and poised to become a dynamic centre for sports and community life. Locals now enjoy the panoramic running track overlooking the Danube, extensive outdoor fitness facilities, and tranquil spaces for relaxation for free.

National Athletics Centre becomes open to the public

As Telex writes, the National Athletics Centre, the prestigious venue of the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships in District 9, officially opened to the public on Sunday. Accessible daily from 7 am to 9 pm, the facility offers a premier space for sports enthusiasts. While winter may not typically favour outdoor activities, the State Secretariat for Sport anticipates the venue will flourish as a hub for community and sports programmes come spring, establishing itself as a vibrant centre for athletics in the heart of the capital. Ádám Schmidt added:

Even before the 2023 World Athletics Championships, we stressed that it is important to ensure that the event has a long-term positive impact on both community and competitive sport in Hungary. One of the most important legacies of the World Championships will be the National Athletics Centre, which will host the new elite athletics series, the World Championships, in 2026, and which we have designed in the spirit of being the new stronghold of community sport.

National Athletics Centre in Budapest
MTI/Kocsis Zoltán

Delayed works

Krisztina Baranyi, mayor of Budapest’s District 9, emphasised that the district supported the construction of the National Athletics Centre on the condition that it would be accessible to the public for recreational sports after the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Following the event, the stadium’s temporary stands were removed, and the surrounding park underwent renovations. Although initially slated for completion by the end of August, delays caused partly by flooding meant the park was only handed over on 1 December.

National Athletics Centre in Budapest
MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
National Athletics Centre in Budapest
MTI/Kocsis Zoltán

Diverse sporting opportunities

The National Athletics Centre offers a panoramic running track on the stadium’s upper level, providing stunning views of the Danube and the city. The surrounding “stadium park” features a variety of outdoor sports facilities, including a playground, a fitness park with street workout equipment, and accessible gear for beginners and older athletes. For experienced enthusiasts, there are bouldering walls and a skate park accommodating skateboards, roller skates, scooters, and BMX bikes, with safety gear required. The Danube bank adds a relaxing touch with a sandy lawn and sun loungers, making the venue a versatile hub for fitness and leisure.

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World Athletics Championships in Budapest huge success: over 170,000 guests attended

national athletics centre

More than 170,000 guests spent close to 460,000 guests nights in Budapest when the capital hosted the 2023 World Athletics Championships on August 19-27, the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) said on Thursday.

Around 71% of guest nights were spent at four- and five-star hotels, MTÜ said, citing figures from the National Tourism Data Service Centre (NTAK). Private accommodations accounted for 34% of guest nights, it added.

Revenue of tourism accommodations more than doubled from the same period a year earlier.

Foreign visitors accounted for 85% of guest nights in the capital during the event. Those visitors came from around 200 countries, but Brits and Germans each accounted for around 9% of the total number of guest nights spent by foreigners, while Italians made up 8%. Visitors from the US, Israel, Spain, Poland and France also showed up “in large numbers”, the agency said.

At a conference focusing on sports, Ádám Schmidt, the state secretary for sports, said on Wednesday evening that the WAC 2023 Budapest event had by far exceeded expectations. He said that an estimated 1,170,000,000 people watched the championships, the largest sporting event Hungary had ever hosted. There were 14,000 articles written about the event reaching a total of 28,5 billion readers, he said.

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World Athletics President: Budapest ready to host Olympics – UPDATED

budapest_olympics_park

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said late on Sunday that he was satisfied with the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest in all aspects, he considered Hungary ready to host the Olympics and personally encouraged the country to bid.

Coe told an international press conference that the World Athletics Championships had been hosted by Budapest at the highest quality. “This is an ambitious city, this is an ambitious country, and I have no reason to doubt they would put up a very credible bid,” he said commenting on a potential bid by Budapest to host the Olympics.

“I can’t remember a better atmosphere at a world championship,” he added. Coe said most international ticket saled had gone to British, German, US, French and Spanish fans and more than half a billion people followed the events over television during the first half of the championships.

State secretary for sports Adam Schmidt told the event that he hoped the many sports diplomats and sports managers who attended the world championships and personally experienced its quality in Budapest would support Hungary’s endeavour to host the Olympics.

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 UPDATE – Government: World Athletics Championships shows ‘global success of joining forces’ (11.19 am)

The World Athletics Championships in Budapest showed the global success of joining forces, the co-leader of the organining committee said on Monday. Balázs Fürjes told MTI that the success of the “largest ever sports event in Hungary” was also demonstrated by the main figures.

Over 2,200 athletes from 195 countries competed at the event and the number of trainers and additional team members was well above 5,000, he said. Some 2,500 Hungarian volunteers offered their services to fans and participants, with fans coming from more than 120 countries, he added.

The number of tickets sold was above 400,000, exceeding the expectation of the World Athletics international organisation, he said. During the nine days of the championships, the average occupancy of the events venue was over 95 percent during the evening finals and the majority of finals were sold out, he said. Furjes said on Facebook earlier on Monday that in agreement with WA president Sebastian Coe, he had proposed granting an International Fair Play award to the volunteers who assisted at events during the championships.

Orbán: Hungary is ancient and modern, nationally-minded and open

orbán tranzit fesztivál

Addressing a reception held in honour of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Saturday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungarians maintained an ‘everlasting’ union with sports, the prime minister’s press chief, said in a statement.

“Anyone here in Budapest in the past few days can see that Hungary is both ancient and modern, nationally-minded and open; they see the true essence of Hungarians: passionate and respectful,” Orbán said in his address at the event held at the House of Hungarian Music. “Love of sports and respect for sports heroes supersedes almost all else.”

“It’s little wonder that we’ve hosted so many brilliant sports events,” he said, referring to aquatics championships, fencing and judo world championships, European handball championships, Giro d’Italia and the Europa League final. “Hopefully the Champions League final also will be held here soon,” he added.

Budapest is now a hub of the sports-loving world, Orbán said.

He noted that Hungary is eighth in medal table of the Summer Olympics. “And yet, we’re the only country out of the top ten not to have hosted the Olympic Games. This can’t go on like this forever,” he added.

The prime minister said Hungarians had dedicated the Championships to peace.

Finally, he thanked the event’s organisers for all their hard work.

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Beware! Swindlers try to sell tickets for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest

Swindlers try to sell tickets for the World Athletics Championships

Swindlers try to deceive people who could not buy an official ticket for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

According to Telex, the swindlers try to sell people copied tickets for tourists and locals for astronomical prices. The organisers of the world’s third biggest sports event told the Hungarian news agency that in the last few days, it was almost impossible to get a ticket for the evening programmes of the championships. By Tuesday night, all available tickets were sold out for the finals. You were not able to buy any more online or offline at the cashier’s desk of the National Athletics Centre.

Several people complained that they bought tickets on different online platforms. But when they tried to enter the stadium, it became clear that their ticket was only a cheap copy of the original. Even if somebody copies a ticket several times, you can enter only once with one specific ticket because the ordinal number matters instead of the physical ticket.

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Budapest bridge will be dismantled, traffic system changes

Due to the dismantling of the passengers’ bridge on Budapest’s emblematic Heroes’ Square, traffic restrictions will be introduced from Monday evening until Wednesday morning on Andrássy Avenue and Heroes’ Square, Budapest Transport Center said.

As a result, bus lines 105 and 210 will commute on a modified route on Podmaniczky Street. Night bus nr 979 will carry passengers in the Király and Damjanich streets and will not touch Bajza and Benczúr streets and the Heroes’ Square or Kodály körönd bus stops. From 10 PM on Tuesday, the tower will be encircled until Wednesday morning, which will modify the route of the 979 night bus.

VIDEO: Shocking accident involving athletes at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest

Shocking accident World Athletics Championships Budapest

A shocking accident happened in Budapest yesterday evening, involving numerous athletes outside Hungary’s brand-new national athletics centre.

We know exactly what happened because the collision between two buggies carrying athletes from the training courts to the athletics centre was recorded by surveillance cameras. One assistant fell out from a buggy, and 200m athletes suffered minor injuries. Based on the video shared, it seems something hit Andrew Hudson’s eyes in the collision, 444.hu wrote. To our mind, not the accident itself was shocking but how it happened. It seems as if the drivers of the buggies did not recognize each other, as if they did not concentrate on the road but something distracted their attention.

However, the Jamaican athlete continued the program and finished at 5th place. He said his legs were hurt in the collision and added that shards of glass went into his eyes. Therefore, the organisers allowed him to compete in today’s finals as 9th. Here is the video:

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Traffic rules change due to the accident

After the collision, the organisers of the third biggest sports event in the world reduced the speed limit around the national athletics centre. It was 19 km/h before, but it has been reduced to 15 km/h. Moreover, a physical separation will be created between the two lanes. From Friday dawn, there will be traffic controllers in the junctions. Because of the accident, the buggy drivers were sent on a 2-day rest. The organisers expressed their apologies for the accident.

PM Orbán: World Athletics Championships ‘one of the best in the world’

The World Athletics Championships currently under way in Budapest and the arena hosting it are among the best in the world, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview on public radio on Friday. Athletes will spread the good reputation of Hungary worldwide, he said. “Foreigners are now saying we are good hosts, that this is a decent country where everyone is welcome, a friendly country, and . one where the Christian roots of love can still be found,” he said.

The arenas built for sports also serve as venues for other kinds of evens, he said. Puskas Arena saw more concerts this year than football matches, so “the whining about money being squandered and about this being only about sports and the personal hobby of a few people, including the prime minister, is just not true,” he said. Sports venues are community spaces serving all “well-meaning Hungarians” by hosting concerts, conferences and “other huge events”, he said. “The cultural products of the western world don’t stop at Vienna any more, they come to Budapest too,” he added.

Get ready: Half Budapest to be closed this weekend

Budapest traffic changes

The marathon races of the World Athletics Championships will be held on Saturday and Sunday morning, 26 and 27 August, in Budapet. The route of the competition will be closed and the affected public transport services will run on a modified route, the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) said on Thursday.

From 4 AM on Saturday until 11 AM and from 4 AM on Sunday until 12.30 PM on Sunday, traffic will be prohibited in the area of Heroes’ Square, on Dózsa György Street, on Andrássy Avenue-József Attila Street-Chain Bridge-Castle Tunnel-Attila Street. During the race, pedestrians will be allowed to cross only at the designated points. For easier access, they recommend using the metro, Pénzcentrum writes.

Traffic restrictions are expected on Andrássy Avenue throughout the weekend. The entire Andrássy Avenue will be closed in the morning of the competitions, while in the afternoon and evening, the section between Oktogon and Heroes’ Square will be closed, BKK added.

They also pointed out that the section of Podmaniczky Street between Izabella Street and Szinnyei Merse Street will be closed from Friday to Sunday evening, 25 August, due to the Terézváros Festival.

Details of the affected lines and traffic changes can be found on the BKK website and in the BudapestGO app.

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Organiser: World Athletics Championship Budapest to become a worldwide success

world athletics championships budapest

The World Athletics Championship, currently at its half-way point in Budapest, will be a worldwide success “if we can muster all our energy to remain organised”, Balázs Fürjes, co-leader of the organising committee, told the website mandiner.hu on Thursday.

Some 50 Hungarian athletes have competed so far, and many have set national records, he said to Mandiner.

He praised the 2,500 volunteers “who also represent our country”. Citing President Katalin Novák, he said: “It’s good that we can organise and experience a world championship in unity.”

Noting that in 2019 the freshly elected city leadership vowed to ban “world championships, track and field centres and attempts to brownfield sites to green areas”, Fürjes said that “a movement was then launched to save the event”. Fürjes led the negotiations with the municipality as the state secretary for the development of Budapest at the time, and managed to reach an agreement, he said.

Weeks before the event, Mayor Gergely Karácsony said the government had broken its word, and he threatened to mount a demonstration against the championship. “I think it is good for everyone that that didn’t happen … common sense prevailed,” Fürjes said.

As part of the deal, the government pledged to allocate an annual HUF 50 billion (EUR 130.5 million) for five years to Budapest district authorities participating in its Healthy Budapest programme. The 9th district received HUF 20 billion (EUR 52 million) for related developments. Government funding could be up to HUF 7 billion (EUR 18.2 million) this year, and negotiations are ongoing about further funding, he said.

The event has drawn some 2,200 athletes from 202 countries, and some 300,000 tickets have already been sold, he said. World Athletics says some 1 billion viewers around the world are watching on TV and streaming services, he said. The event has also resulted in some 500,000 guest nights in Hungarian hotels and billions in revenues for retailers and the hospitality industry, he added.

The Budapest transport company (BKK) said earlier that traffic in the city will be restricted on August 26 and 27 due to marathons. Thoroughfares such as Dózsa György Street and Andrássy Boulevard will be closed from 4 AM on Saturday and Sunday, until 11 AM and 12.30 PM, respectively, the statement said. Dózsa György Street will also be closed on Sunday evening, they said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Gergely Karácsony and World Athletics head Sebastian Coe greeted Ukrainian athletes at City Hall, marking the 32th anniversary of Ukrainian independence and the 150th anniversary of Budapest’s unification. Coe awarded World Athletics gongs to high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh and long and triple jumper Marina Bekh-Romanchuk.

Authorities spot-check taxis at World Athletics Championships Budapest

Taxi Hungaroring Formula1

The authorities checked 234 taxis in a bid to curb rip-off drivers during the World Athletics Championships, the police said on their website. Several permits were withdrawn between August 21 and 23, they added.

One driver is suspected of tampering with the meter to show higher prices, and 9 permits were withdrawn for fixed pricing and other irregularities. Police have also started five procedures for over-charging passengers and for failing to issue an invoice. The condition of taxis was also checked, and 12 vehicles will undergo a thorough inspection, the statement said.

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Hungarian minister: We are a sovereign country, we invite whoever we want to the state ceremony

Gergely Gulyás Hungarian Prime Ministers Chief of Staff 3

Why were EU leaders not invited to the 20 August celebrations? Is there a shortage in teachers? Who bought the Hungarian left? Today’s Cabinet Briefing.

Why were EU leaders not invited to the 20 August celebrations? – Gergely Gulyás was asked. “We are a sovereign country, we invite whoever we want”, he said, noting that former Austrian and Czech leaders were also present. The state holiday was mainly attended by leaders of Central Asian countries, rtl.hu reports.

No teacher shortage, says minister

According to Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, there is no shortage of teachers in the country, because there are far fewer students in educational institutions, and the number of teachers has decreased only slightly.

20 August celebrations successfully completed

Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, on Thursday welcomed the successful completion of celebrations marking Hungary’s 20 August national holiday.

Speaking at his regular press briefing, Gulyás said the government had arranged for “the most spectacular light and fireworks show of all time”, which attracted a record number of spectators on site and public television viewers.

Meanwhile, Gulyás highlighted the World Athletics Championships now under way in Budapest, saying “Budapest is able to arrange for major events and is an excellent host to those programmes”.

Gulyás: Inflation could fall into single digits by Oct-Nov

Despite the current difficulties, Hungary’s government is able to deliver on its commitment to push inflation into the single digits by the end of the year, and there is a good chance that this could happen by November or even October, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday.

The government has achieved its most important economic policy goal of protecting jobs in the wartime situation, and Hungary is battling a labour shortage rather than unemployment, Gergely Gulyás told a regular government press briefing. Interest rates are also falling, Gulyás said, underlining the importance of returning to an interest rate environment that promotes lending and investment.

The government wants to ensure that wage growth continues to outpace inflation, he said, adding that there was a good chance to achieve real wage growth this year.

Gulyás: Hungary proposes extension of import ban on Ukrainian grain

The Hungarian government proposes that the European Union should extend its ban on grain imports from Ukraine beyond 15 September, Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, told a regular press briefing on Thursday.

Should the EU reject the proposal, Hungary will introduce the same measures it applied earlier similarly to Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, Gulyás said.

He said he hoped the EU would find a solution, adding that “destroying the agriculture of countries bordering Ukraine is no solidarity.” Gulyás noted that Europe’s introduction of a “solidarity corridor” for Ukrainian grain imports had resulted in those imports increasing to a monthly 250,000 tonnes in 2023, from an annual 40,000-50,000 tonnes before the war.

“The problem is that the EU’s rules forced Ukraine’s neighbours only to exercise solidarity rather than the whole of the community,” he argued. Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia therefore decided to “close their borders to Ukrainian grain” Gulyás said.

Who bought the Hungarian left?

According to Gergely Gulyás, we will finally find out who was able to buy the Hungarian left. According to an article in Átlátszó, the municipality of the capital has received USD 3 million from Soros foundations for epidemic management. According to Gergely Gulyás, the goal is good, but the office led by Gergely Karácsony failed to properly account for the money.

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World Athletics Championships Budapest results

Hungary Budapest World Athletics Championships

Results of finals held at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Wednesday:

Women’s 400 m

———————–

1. Marileidy Paulino (Dominican Republic) 48.76 sec

2. Natalia Kaczmarek (Poland) 49.57

3. Sada Williams (Barbados) 49.60

 

Women’s pole-jump

——————————

1. Nina Kennedy (Australia) and Katie Moon (USA) 4.90 m

3. Wilma Murto (Finland) 4.80

 

Men’s 400 m hurdle

———————————

 

1. Karsten Warholm (Norway) 46.89 sec

2. Kyron McMaster (British Virgin Islands) 47.34

3. Rai Benjamin (USA) 47.56

 

Men’s 1,500 m

—————————–

1. Josh Kerr (UK) 3:29.38 min

2. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) 3:29.65

3. Narve Gilje Nordas (Norway) 3:29.68

Taxi drivers ripping off foreign tourists in Budapest during World Athletics Championships

Taxi Budapest

Some taxi drivers charge more than EUR 260 just for a short ride in Budapest, taking advantage of the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships and the increased number of foreign tourists.

Rogue taxi drivers appeared around Hungary’s brand-new national athletics centre, trying to deceive as many tourists as they can. Sometimes the fee exceeds even EUR 260 between the athletics centre and their hotel. You should know that a taxi ride between the national athletics centre and Budapest Airport (which is outside of the city) should be less than EUR 26. Therefore, there is no route in Budapest which require you to pay ten times that fee.

Therefore, the organisers asked for immediate measures from the authorities, atv.hu wrote. Budapest taxis are easy to distinguish from other cars: they are yellow, the travel fees are displayed on their doors, and you can check out which taxi company they work to. Furthermore, they also have a license number. Mercenary taxis are not like that. They regularly appear in the evening when people leave the stadium and are in quick need for a ride back to their hotel or a restaurant.

Here is an example (though it contains the old prices):

Authorities increase numbers to catch mercenary taxi drivers

Balázs Németh, the CEO of the organiser company NZRT, said some drivers asked for HUF 20 thousand (EUR 52) just to take foreign passengers to the other side of the Danube (a couple of hundred metres). Meanwhile, others charged more than EUR 260 to take tourists to their downtown hotels. Therefore, the organisers of the world athletic championships ask all visitors to have a thorough look at the taxi they’re about to take and keep an eye on rogue drivers.

Read also:

  • Taxi fares increase again in Budapest from Monday – Read our article HERE

Zoltán Metál, the head of the Hungarian taxi association, said the official Budapest fare for licensed taxis is HUF 1,100 (EUR 2.88), while the km price is HUF 440 (EUR 1.15). Mr Metál added that was a guaranteed fee. If passengers take licensed taxis and a problem occurred, professional dispatch centres will help them. ATV wrote that police increased the number of officers around the athletics centre from Tuesday evening to track down and fine rogue taxis. The government office of Budapest said they had doubled the number of inspectors checking on taxi drivers during the world championships at the organisers’ request, the Hungarian news agency wrote. The inspectors, in cooperation with public transport BKK staff and police, focus on the area of the championship venue as well as nearby filling stations, the office said in a statement.

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Meanwhile, MTI added that private taxis circling the petrol station next to the National Athletics Centre are picking up visitors and taking them to their hotels for astronomical sums. They stressed that tourists should only use official taxis and that the venue is easily accessible by public transport as well.

Featured image: illustration

Prince of Monaco spotted in Hungarian mall – what is he doing here?

Budapest Etele plaza newest shopping center

Since its opening, 30,000 people have already visited the world’s largest athletics exhibition at Etele Plaza. Prince Albert II of Monaco has also visited the exhibition. The prince is not only the head of the city-state, but also the President of the Athletics Federation of Monaco.

Albert II of Monaco in Hungary

Prince Albert II toured the exhibition on the occasion of this year’s World Athletics Championships. The exhibition presents the history of athletics, the World Championships and Hungarian athletics, Forbes reports.

Since his youth, sport has played an important role in the life of Prince Albert II. He has represented his city-state at the Winter Olympics on five previous occasions and is involved in the development of athletics as President of the Athletics Federation of Monaco and Honorary President of the International Athletics Foundation.

One of the first trips of the recently arrived monarch to Budapest was to Etele Plaza to see the MOWA Budapest exhibition, the world’s largest collection of athletics memorabilia and relics.

You can check out some pictures of Albert II HERE and HERE.

Exhibition about the World Athletics Championships

The exhibition explores the last forty years of the World Athletics Championships, the first of which was held in Helsinki in 1983, and the current host of the grand sporting event in Budapest. Several historical Hungarian athletics artefacts, which have not been on display to the public before, can be seen here.

The spectacular 600-square-metre exhibition will be on display until the last day of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, 27 August in Etele Plaza, Budapest’s smart plaza that opened two years ago. Visitors can lift the throwing equipment, touch the hurdles and marvel at the world record heights and distances achieved by the jumpers. They can experience the extraordinary performance behind the world record results.

There are also two audio photo walls, a cinema room and other LED displays playing archive competition footage, as well as a virtual reality zone where visitors can roam around the world’s first 3D virtual sports museum on MOWA’s online platform.

Beware: World Athletics organisers warn of rogue taxi drivers

car taxi automobile

The organisers of the Budapest World Athletic Championship have warned foreign visitors to beware of mercenary taxi drivers. They have also appealed to the authorities to take action against the drivers.

Private taxis circling the petrol station next to the National Athletics Centre are picking up visitors and taking them to their hotels for astronomical sums, Budapest 2023 Nzrt said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that punters should only use official taxis. Also, the venue is easily accessible by public transport, the statement added.

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Pay attention: Extraordinary measures introduced at World Athletics Championships Budapest

World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023

The organising committee of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest held an extraordinary press conference on Monday afternoon. Balázs Németh, CEO of the committee, said that extraordinary measures had been introduced due to the heat hitting the country right now.

Extraordinary measures introduced

At the press conference, Balázs Németh said that in view of the heat, the organisers of the World Athletics Championships will provide free water to visitors both inside and outside the stadium, Index reports. The CEO added that unlike other mass events, this time security will not confiscate water bottles and flasks, so you can take your drinks into the grandstands.

In addition to all this, the organisers will also be giving away fans. It is also important to note that on the days when there is a morning programme at the World Championships, those with a valid ticket for a sunny seat will be allowed to pass through to the shaded areas.

Balázs Németh also said that the races would not be affected by the heat. However, he added that two athletes had heatstroke on Sunday. Neither of them had to go to hospital after receiving the necessary treatment on the spot.

World Athletics Championships Budapest

The World Championship started last Saturday and runs until this Sunday. The prestigious sporting event, the biggest ever in Hungary, started with a huge storm, Index writes. The start of the first event, the men’s 20-kilometre walk, was delayed by two hours, while the morning programme at the main venue, the National Athletics Centre, started an hour later.

By the afternoon, however, the weather had improved. The clouds had cleared and the conditions were ideal for the athletes, although the humid air did cause some difficulties. On Sunday, the weather and temperatures were typical of the summer months for athletes and spectators alike.

On the second day of the World Championships, the 63-man Hungarian team won its first medal: Bence Halász finished third in the men’s hammer throw.

The medal ceremony will take place at 5:40 PM on Monday at the Medal Plaza in the park of the National Athletics Centre.

PHOTOS: Hungary won its first medal at the World Athletics Championships!

Hungary won its first medal
Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday evening received foreign leaders visiting Hungary on the occasion of the August 20 national holiday and the World Athletics Championships at Budapest’s new National Athletics Centre, the PM’s press office reported. Furthermore, Hungary won its first medal at the World Athletics Championships! Check out our photos below.
The high-rankig politicians and senior businessmen were invited to watch events of the World Athletics Championships. Here are some photos:
Results of finals held at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Sunday:

 

    Men’s 100 m:

1. Noah Lyles (USA) 9:82 sec

2. Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) 9:88

3. Zharnel Hughes (UK) 9:88

    Men’s 10,000 m:

1. Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) 27:51:42 min

2. Daniel Simiu Ebenyo (Kenya) 27:52:60

3. Selemon Bariega (Ethiopia) 27:52:72

    Men’s Hammer Throw:

1. Ethan Katzberg (Canada) 81:25 m

2. Wojciech Nowicki (Poland) 81:02

    3. Bence Halász (Hungary) 80:82

Hungary won its first medal
Bence Halász. Photo: MTI

 

    Women’s Long-Jump:1. Ivana Vuleta (Serbia) 7:14 m2. Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA) 6:91

3. Alina Rotaru-Kottmann (Romania) 6:88

Heptathlon

1. Katarina Jonhson-Thompson (UK) 6,740 points

2. Anna Hall (USA) 6,720

3. Anouk Vetter (Netherlands) 6,501

    Women Race Walk 20 km

1. Maria Perez (Spain) 1:26:51 hours

2. Jemima Montag (Australia) 1:27:16

3. Antonella Palmisano (Italy) 1:27:26

VIDEO – American champion athlete: “My heart is Hungarian”

American champion athlete my heart is Hungarian

The Hungarian press already speaks about him as “Kovács Józsi” (Joe is József in Hungarian, nicknamed Józsi), although he does not even have Hungarian citizenship. But his heart is Hungary, he said before he won bronze in the shot put.

According to Magyar Nemzet, Ryan Crouser won the competition with 23.51 metres, an all-time second-best. Meanwhile, his American compatriot, Joe Kovacs, won a bronze medal for the Americans with 22.12 metres.

Before the world athletics championships, he said that Hungarian athletics have a long history, but we do not have now an outstanding shot put. “I can be your man”, he added. He highlighted he represented the United States proudly, where he lives, but also the Hungarian flag, which hangs in his grandfather’s cellar.

He said in the interview that he visited Hungary when he was 5. He came with his grandfather, who returned to his homeland after 35 years and met his brother. He has been to Hungary four times since then and met his relatives in Szentpéterfa, in Vas County. He can already say: “Egészségedre!” in Hungarian with a beer in his hand. He said that he came to Hungary as if he went home since he may be able to hear “Kovacs” shouted by the spectators.

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Here is his best put:

Joe Kovacs won two gold medals at the 2015 and 2019 world athletics championships. He had silver in the 2016 and 2020 summer Olympics. Here is his interview:

PM Orbán, FM Szijjártó held talks about war, athletics, aid for Christians

Orbán talks

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Saturday held talks with World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, former Slovenian counterpart Janez Jansa, while FM Péter Szijjártó met with his former Lebanese counterpart.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Saturday held talks with Sebastian Coe, who earlier this week was re-elected World Athletics president at the World Athletics Congress in Budapest, the prime minister’s press chief said. Coe praised the new National Athletics Centre, calling it a “wonderful facility”, Bertalan Havasi told MTI. He also hailed the Hungarian organising committee for its work, adding that everything was set for a good World Athletics Championships. Orbán said the World Athletics Championships was also important economically for Hungary and Budapest, arguing that it generated money, but even more importantly, drew the world’s attention to Hungarians. The prime minister thanked the organisers and volunteers for their work.

The king of athletics:

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Orbán holds talks with former Slovenian PM

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks with former Slovenian counterpart and head of the Slovenian Democratic Party, Janez Jansa, in his office on Saturday, the prime minister’s press chief said. Orbán and Jansa discussed, among other things, the damage caused by some of the worst storms in Slovenia’s history, for which Hungary has also provided aid in recent weeks, Bertalan Havasi told MTI.

They also discussed the global political situation as well as the importance of peace with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war, and reviewed the work to be done by European conservative Christian parties ahead of next year’s European Parliament elections. Jansa is scheduled to attend the August 20 celebrations and events at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Havasi said.

Read also:

  • Group of 38 Hungarian tourists stranded in Slovenia hotel after violent storms – Read more HERE

Hungarian foreign minister holds talks with former Lebanese FM

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó held talks with former Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, in Budapest on Saturday. One of the pillars of Hungary’s Christian foreign policy is providing assistance to Christian communities in need, Szijjártó said at their joint press conference.

He said international politics should be about building relations, not about breaking them. “If you listen to European politicians, you can mostly hear about what separates us and what makes us different from other parts of the world. For some reason, there is less talk about what connects us and what we have in common,” he added.

“It is clearly in Hungary’s national interest to establish civilised cooperation between East and West. The cooperation between Hungary and Lebanon is an excellent example to this,” he said. He added that respect for each other and the shared Christian heritage provided a stable basis for this, as Hungary has a thousand-year-old Christian statehood, and Lebanon is home to the oldest Christian communities.

Szijjártó said that mayors András Cser-Palkovics and Marcellino Hark signed a twinning agreement between their cities, Székesfehérvár and Batroun, which further strengthened the friendship of the two nations. He noted that the government had provided close to 5 billion forints (EUR 13.0m) for the preservation and renovation of ancient Christian sites in Lebanon and the renovation of sixty-six medieval churches was under way with Hungarian assistance. Based on tied-aid agreements signed this year, the government is providing 140 million forints for the renovation of a historical monument, the reconstruction of a monastery church and an orphanage, and the operation of Protestant schools in Lebanon.

Who’s next? – asks Orbán.