According to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu, the American Maurine Emilie Kornfeld is the oldest female swimmer at the 2017 FINA Masters World Championships. She was the only one who entered the 800 m freestyle event in the 95-99 age group, and managed to set a new world record with an amazing performance.
The 96-year-old athlete finished the race in 21 minutes 39.10 seconds, which signifies a new world record in her category. In fact, her result is so great that she even came before three contestants in the 90-94 age group.
Photo: MTI
Altogether 9,404 athletes – out of them 756 Hungarians – entered the 2017 FINA Masters World Championships in Budapest, which started last Monday and lasts until the 20th of August. Most athletes – 6,521 – entered the swimming events, but there are also 1,595 water polo players, 1,240 open water swimmers, 520 synchronised swimmers and 322 divers among the participants.
Regarding Hungarian athletes, there are 396 swimmers, 238 water polo players, 135 open water swimmers, 30 synchronised swimmers and 25 divers.
The oldest participant in the whole field is a Hungarian swimmer, Béla Bánki Horváth, who was born on the 20th of December, 1920, meaning that he’ll turn 97 at the end of this year. He is the only athlete in his event in the 95-99 age group. The oldest female athlete is Maurine Emilie Kornfeld mentioned above, who’ll turn 96 on the 27th of November.
The youngest participants were born in 1992 as the first age group starts from age 25. The Masters World Championship features five disciplines: open water swimming in Balatonfüred, and swimming, synchronised swimming, diving and water polo in Budapest.
The eye-catching capital city of Hungary in the middle ages, Székesfehérvár, hosted the UIPM World Championships for juniors between the 7th and 14th of August.
Hungary won three medals, two silvers, and one gold.
At the men’s team competition, the Hungarian team of Balázs Szép, Richárd Bereczki, and Gergely Regős collected 4240 points, thus they won the silver medal.
Hungary’s team of Anna Zs. Tóth and Eszter Varga won the gold medal of the team-relay women’s competition after they accumulated 1393 points.
Eszter Varga alongside Gergely Regős earned 1424 points at the team-relay mix’s competition, a result that enabled them to win the silver medal.
Modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport which consists of the following events: fencing, swimming, show jumping. It ends with a combination of pistol shooting and a cross-country run.
After a great run, Balázs Baji came in third on the 110 metres hurdles on the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London, reports index.hu. This time the Hungarian athlete started the race very well, at around half the distance he was only fourth-fifth, but he jumped over the last hurdle in a very good rhythm. His last 10 metres were great, thus he got to the third place. He ran in with 13.28. Only the Olympic champion Omar McLeod and the former world champion, the Russian Sergey Shubenkov came before him. Baji won the 12th Hungarian medal on world championships in athletics.
I can hardly believe it happened. The bronze medal is so much more than what I expected. The end was not so fast, but it was a big moment for me. A dream came true. I was in really good shape. I knew I could be ahead. I only needed to go smoother, and it worked. I felt I had the chance to be in the first three. I thought I was close to them. After the race I sat down, looked around in the stadium and thought: how perfect it was! – Baji said after the race.
His bronze medal is also an outstanding achievement in the history of Hungarian athletics. A sprinter has never won any medal and never got to the finals. It was Baji’s fourth world championship, but he has never got to the finals. He could not even go further than the qualifying round in 2011. In 2013 he already got to the semi-final, but he could not repeat it two years later and stayed in the qualifying round again.
The Hungarian athlete showed mature racing during the whole world championship, he got over the qualifying round confidently. Only the Olympic champion Omar McLeod came before Baji, who was sparing his energy in the end. In the semi-final, he needed the first or second place to get into the final eight, and he managed to do it better than expected: after a really good start, he was running ahead of everybody, even Aries Merritt – the Olympic champion of 2012.
Baji – who is a vet besides his sports career – built up the whole season very successfully. Even at the beginning of the open-air season, he ran a new national record with 13.24, and he ran even faster with 0.01 second at the end of June in Ostrava. After all these, he changed this record to 13.15 at the beginning of July at the Memorial in Gyula.
Bronze medalist Balázs Baji after the race Source: youtube / WCH 2017 London – Balázs Baji HUN 110 Metres Hurdles Bronze
The world could notice his face five years ago in the London stadium as well. In the qualifying run, where a lot of athletes cannot go further, he raised the hand of Liu Xiang, the Chinese world star who got injured because he was sorry that such a great champion had to leave the race like that. He got fair play award for this in Hungary.
Both the Hungarian state and the international association pays bonuses to the contenders. Forbes.hu examined the premium of the Hungarian team.
Sport is a vital part of the economy, especially for the entertainment branch. The international association pays enormous fortunes for the contenders to ensure that they keep on popularizing water sports in their world championships. Prize contests provide a driving force to the branch of sports. Contenders may receive reasonable sums even if there is no current world or European championship or Olympics. Moreover, the more prestigious sports events are held, the bigger the profit of swimming is. This sport has gone through a long development from that sense.
Premium played a vital role in the events of FINA World Championships. It is mostly because sports celebrities often skip the world championship after the Olympics. It is not a surprise that FINA paid more for a world record than a gold medal. They were trying to motivate the best contenders to attend the championship in Budapest instead of resting.
FINA’s prizes also show which sports are the more popular, as those receive more premium who participate in sports that concern more people, as they produce more profit. One of the most interesting aspects of comparison is the difference between swimming and water polo.
If someone has become a world champion with a world record in a single event, they receive 50,000 dollars (approximately 42,329 euros) from FINA, while the Croatian water polo team receives 80,000 dollars (67,727 euros) altogether for a gold medal, divided among 13 players.
The Hungarian sports financing system has been changed by the support that can be given through TAO (corporate tax). Swimmers also have advantages concerning institutions, but they cannot receive TAO funds.
Besides the victory premiums of FINA, the Hungarian state also pays for ranks, as it is regulated in a government regulation. The funds award ranking between first and third place. That is the reason why we examined contenders winning a bronze medal at least.
Multiple gold medal winner swimmer Katinka Hosszú received the highest premium with 26,810 euros from the state and 55,766 from FINA. She is followed by silver medal winner Dávid Verrasztó and triple junior world recorder Kristóf Milák, both of which gained 6187 euros from Hungary and 128,692 from FINA. The total prize distributed among Hungarian sports stars was 4,738,707 euros.
“The best FINA World Championships ever” said Julio C. Maglione, the president of FINA at the closing ceremony, referring to the past two weeks, which was characterised by outstanding performances from the athletes, teams, organisers, volunteers and fans.
It’s amazing to see how a worldwide sporting event can move people. Everyone becomes a fan, a supporter, even people who otherwise don’t follow sport competitions. Seeing people with red-white-green face paint, flags, wigs and crazy attires just makes you want to cheer even louder. You feel grateful for being part of such a unique atmosphere.
A cheering fan – Photo: MTI
These past two weeks were somewhat reminiscent of last year’s Euro2016 fever, when the Hungarian national football team brought together the whole nation. Still, the 17th FINA World Championships was different. We felt like it was ours. We felt like we all contributed to it in a way.
Hungary has always been successful in water sports, so an event like this meant the apotheosis of our athletes. But the audience enthusiastically celebrated sportspeople from other countries as well. The athletes held everyone spellbound as they stepped onto the starting block and jumped into the water. Water is wonderful, powerful and it connects us.
The venue choices played a major role in creating a fantastic atmosphere. The Danube Arena was the home of the swimming and diving competitions. The organising committee had two years to prepare for the event and to build a world-class, modern arena that could present these disciplines. Even though it might have seemed impossible, they managed to do so. The Danube Arena turned out to be perfect. It had all the necessary facilities, high standard pools and 12,000 seats. You can imagine how the arena exploded from the cheering fans when a Hungarian athlete entered the competition zone.
The Danube Arena – Photo: MTI
The Danube Arena – Photo: MTI
The Danube Arena – Photo: MTI
Moving on to Balatonfüred, the home of the open water swimming competitions. This was the first championship that was hosted by two cities. Balatonfüred has been the home of open water swimming competitions for years, so no one doubted the successful execution. Besides, Lake Balaton is very special for Hungarians, it represents our relationship with water. Hopefully the World Championships was able to attract more attention to the “Hungarian Sea” and its incredible neighbourhood.
Open water swimming in Balatonfüred – Photo: MTI
Open water swimming in Balatonfüred – Photo: MTI
Open water swimming in Balatonfüred – Photo: MTI
The synchronised swimming events were held in the City Park, in a temporary pool, in front of the scenic Vajdahunyad Castle. Several athletes emphasized that they have never competed in such a beautiful environment. It was truly gorgeous and complemented the beauty of synchronised swimming.
The scenic Vajdahunyad Castle – Photo: MTI
The scenic Vajdahunyad Castle – Photo: MTI
The scenic Vajdahunyad Castle – Photo: MTI
The scenic Vajdahunyad Castle – Photo: MTI
The most spectacular events, the high diving competitions were held in a similarly picturesque location. The tower was set up at Batthyány Square, which meant that the background of the dives was the Parliament. Everyone watched the athletes in awe. Again, the location perfectly complemented the mightiness of the discipline. How could anyone top this off?
Diving in front of the Parliament – Photo: MTI
Diving in front of the Parliament – Photo: MTI
Diving in front of the Parliament – Photo: MTI
Diving in front of the Parliament – Photo: MTI
Diving in front of the Parliament – Photo: MTI
Last but not least, the Margaret Island and the Hajós Alfréd Complex was the home of the water polo competitions. No other location could’ve been a better choice considering that the complex is the Mecca of water polo. The vibe was amazing there as well. Imagine thousands of people screaming “RIA-RIA-HUNGÁRIA” almost fanatically every day.
The Hajós Alfréd Complex – Photo: MTI
Photo: MTI
Cheering fans in the Hajós Alfréd Complex – Photo: MTI
It definitely felt like Hungary was able to live up to the expectations. Our athletes finished in the 9th place of the medal table, which is phenomenal considering that only “world powers” came before us. Katinka Hosszú was the N°1 star of the team, she won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal. She took the whole collection home.
The Iron Lady – Photo: MTI
New stars were born at the World Championships. We must highlight the 17-year-old Kristóf Milák, who stunned everyone with his silver medal in 100 m butterfly. Also, we cannot forget about the living legend, László Cseh, who won a silver medal in 200 m butterfly, which was a very emotional race with his good friend, Chad le Clos. This was László’s 8th world championships, it’s no surprise that journalists struggle to find adjectives to describe his exceptional career.
Chad le Clos and László Cseh – Photo: MTI
Dávid Verrasztó returned with a beautiful silver medal on the last day in 400 m medley. The 5th silver medal was won by the Hungarian men’s water polo team, who marched into the final confidently, but couldn’t manage to tackle the Croatian team in the end. Nevertheless, their performance was outstanding throughout the two weeks and they deserved the shining silver medal.
Silver boys – Photo: MTI
The other bronze medal marks the success of the men’s 4×100 m freestyle relay team. The event was held on the first day of the swimming competitions, nobody could’ve dreamt of a better start.
The freestyle relay team – Photo: MTI
All in all, based on the feedback, it seems like Hungary fulfilled the challenge and put up a well-organised world championship. People like Éva Szántó, the managing director of Bp2017, and Sándor Balogh, the Finance Director of the FINA Aquatics Championships, did a great job along with the other members of the committee.
We might be biased, but we are honestly thankful that we could be part of the 17th FINA World Championships. It was an amazing experience, which hopefully reached many people around the world. Congratulations to the amazing athletes and everyone who contributed to the event!
The Hungarian BMX cyclist community is heading towards its greatest opportunity so far. FISE Budapest will be held between 18th and 20th August at the Kopaszi Dam. Cyclists from 55 countries are expected for the event, according to the article of Szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu.
Soon after the end of FINA, Budapest is ready to host another world championship: it will be the FISE World Series, which will be held at the Kopaszi Dam. This will be a part of a series of extreme sports events.
The champions of roller-skate freestyle, wakesurf, BMX flatland and BMX freestyle park will take part in the competition. But less experienced contenders can also take part in the challenge, thanks to the amateur and junior categories.
The Hungarian Cycling Federation encourages all BMX cyclists in Hungary to sign up for the races, no matter if amateur, junior, female or professional category. FISE is an excellent opportunity to show your talents in front of an international jury.
“Hungary has lots of talented young people, and this event may be a springboard for them.
If a cyclist ranks high in FISE, the international jury will not forget them. We hope that the event might help making BMX more popular, so people start looking at it as a type of sport instead of some kind of street entertainment.
Everyone will be convinced at the Kopaszi Dam that it requires more than an athlete’s agility and coordination to execute these spectacular stunts”, stated chairman of BMX Freestyle Hungary Róbert Pichler.
Chief manager of Hungarian Cycling Federation Dr Péter Princzinger also encourages those who like this unique sport. He emphasized that BMX freestyle will be included in the contest program of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, so FISE’s finest will become potential Olympians.
Even though everyone is focused on the World Aquatics Championships right now, we should take a moment to congratulate András Szatmári who became a world champion in sabre fencing. This is a huge success considering, that the last Hungarian world champion in men’s sabre was György Nébald in 1990, when András Szatmári wasn’t even born yet.
According to index.hu, the first day of the World Championships held in Leipzig was about men’s individual sabre fencing. However, this time the competition wasn’t about two-time Olympic champion Áron Szilágyi, but the 24-year-old András Szatmári instead. He had already won a Junior World Championships, and now he made his breakthrough in the senior field.
The final fencing-bout was full of tension and excitement. The South Korean Gu started out quite aggressively, but András was able to keep up with the tempo. He gradually fell into line with his opponent and took over the lead with perfect timing.
“I’m the world champion, this was my dream! Our official goal was to reach the quarter final, but we were secretly hoping for a medal. How was I able to turn the bout around from 4:8? This is partly due to my master’s support. In the break he emphasized that one doesn’t get the chance to become a world champion every day. And this fuelled me” said András Szatmári.
Axel Reymond of France won the men’s 25 km open water swimming event of the 17th World Aquatics Championships in Balatonfüred, in western Hungary, on Friday, while Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil won the race in the women’s field. Meanwhile, Russia triumphed in the synchro swimming team free event in Budapest on Friday. Lastly, Tingmao Shi of China triumphed in the women’s 3 m springboard diving event.
Men’s 25 km open water swimming:
1. Axel Reymond (FRA) 5:02:46.40 hours
2. Matteo Furlan (ITA) 5:02.47.00
3. Evgenii Drattcev (RUS) 5:02:49.80
The medallists – Photo: MTI
6. Gergely Gyurta (HUN) 5:04:00.70
Gergely Gyurta – Photo: MTI
Women’s 25 km open water swimming:
1. Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA) 5:21:58.40 hours
2. Sharon van Rouwendaal (USA) 5:22.00.80
3. Arianna Bridi (ITA) 5:22:08.20
The medallists – Photo: MTI
5. Anna Olasz (HUN) 5:23:55.00
Anna Olasz – Photo: MTI
12. Katalin Sömenek Onon (HUN) 5:33:05.80
Synchronised swimming team free event:
1. Russia 97.3000 points
2. China 95.2333
3. Ukraine 93.9333
The winners – Photo: MTI
Men’s water polo:
Group A:
Canada – Brazil 6:6 (2:1, 2:3, 2:1, 0:1)
Canada vs. Brazil – Photo: MTI
Montenegro – Kazakhstan 13:5 (2:0, 4:0, 3:2, 4:3)
Montenegro vs. Kazakhstan – Photo: MTI
Final standing:
1. Montenegro 5
2. Brazil 3
3. Kazakhstan 2
4. Canada 2
Group B:
Hungary – France 13:7 (6:1, 2:3, 3:1, 2:2)
Hungary vs. France – Photo: MTI
Italy – Australia 13:5 (5:2, 3:0, 2:3, 3:0)
Italy vs. Australia – Photo: MTI
Final standing:
1. Hungary 5
2. Italy 5
3. Australia 2
4. France 0
Group C:
Spain – South Africa 16:4 (3:2, 1:0, 6:1, 6:1)
Spain vs. South Africa – Photo: MTI
Serbia – Greece 11:6 (2:1, 3:3, 3:0, 3:2)
Serbia vs. Greece – Photo: MTI
Final standing:
1. Serbia 6
2. Greece 4
3. Spain 2
4. South Africa 0
Group D:
United States – Russia 14:11 (6:1, 3:5, 3:1, 2:4)
Russia vs. United States of America – Photo: MTI
Croatia – Japan 16:6 (5:1, 5:3, 4:1, 2:1)
Croatia vs. Japan – Photo: MTI
Final standing:
1. Croatia 6
2. Russia 2
3. Japan 2
4. United States 2
Women’s 3 m springboard:
1. Tingmao Shi (CHN) 383.50 points
2. Han Wang (CHN) 359.40
3. Jennifer Abel (CAN) 351.55
The winner – Photo: MTI
Featured image: MTI – The winner Russian synchronised swimming team
One silver and five gold medals were given to the Hungarian contenders at the competition held in Turkey. 16 countries participated in the tournament with about 700 contestants all together.
The 2nd International Traditional Archery Championship, which was held in Kahramanmaras-Türküglü, brought huge success to Hungary, according to Szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu.
Attila Rácz became the champion of shooting from 60 and 90 meters. Female Hungarian archers were also in good shape as Andrea Skaliczki brought silver medals in both the category of 40 and 75 meters. The 60 meters team contest was won by József Mónus, Attila Rácz, Andrea Skaliczki and Kata Rácz, according to the
World Traditional Archery Federation (WTAF).
Multiple times world recorder József Mónus, who is often referred to as the ‘White Wol’, triumphed in both 50 pounds limited shooting and limitless shooting. In the latter one, he shot 470 meters far. He began to learn the craft of archery along with his children in 2006, and since then, he has already beat the world record of the longest shot in history in Budapest (with 508,70 meters) and later in Ergun (with 653 meters).
Annamária Ruszin, the wife of Mr Mónus also won a gold medal in limitless shooting. These results count as one silver and five gold medals in total.
The new airport bus 100E will run along the Deák square-Kálvin square-Liszt Ferenc Airport II route in every half an hour, reports Fonódó. Although the Centre for Budapest Transport (BKK) and the City Hall planned to announce it on Tuesday, Index already published its article about it on Monday. While Index only reports the news, other sources seem to know more about it.
The new bus is named 100E, and it will get going on July 8. It will set off in every half an hour from Deák square from 4:00 AM to 11:30 PM, and from Liszt Ferenc Airport II from 5:00 AM to 0:30 AM. It will only have one permanent stop between the two termini: Kálvin square. In addition to this, the first services will also stop at Astoria, but only in the small hours.
The bus service will transport passangers to Liszt Ferenc Airport II Source: Wiki Commons
Dávid Vitézy publicly argues with this detail on his Facebook. He hopes that this decision will be revised and the airport bus will also stop where its route intersects the busiest bus-axis of the city. Apart from this, the BKK’s former managing director thinks
100E is the best thing that the failure of the renovation of Metroline 3 could trigger: a direct central bus service from the airport to the FINA World Championship just to save the guests the experience of the metro. However, it is questionable if this concept will work with the buses following each other in only every 30 minutes. It would be great if this service remained after the World Championship as well – at least until the metro gets renovated – though the real solution would be the building of the spur of the railway line, which is still in the planning stage.
However, bus-blogger Kristóf Kengyel believes “it will run not only during the World Championship, but also afterwards. The buses running on this route will get a custom-designed »Budapest« image” according to his Facebook.
Of course, passengers will have to buy a special ticket. A one-way ticket will cost around 2.8 EUR, while it will be free for people above the age of 65 and everyone else entitled to free transportation. Route 100E will apply the articulated buses of VT-Arriva Mercedes Conecto G.
It is a special year for sailors and windsurfers in Hungary, as European and world championships will be held in two different locations at Lake Balaton, so there will be 155 sailing competitions and eight big regattas in Hungary this year.
Hungarian Yachting Association (MVSZ) and Hungarian Windsurfing Association (MSZSZ) held a press conference together in Várkert Bazár on Tuesday, and they mentioned that the success of the Hungarian sailors, the well-trained hosts and judges makes it possible for Hungary to compete for hosting more and more international championships.
András Holczhauser speaking. Photo: Daily News Hungary
Chief secretary of MVSZ András Holzhauser highlighted that multiple Hungarian sailors belong to the international elite again, after several years, like Zsombor Berecz in Finn dinghy – he received silver medal in the world championship final last week – Mária Érdi in Laser Radial, Benjamin and Jonatán Vadnai in Laser Standard, and the Gyapjas brothers in 470 type.
This year’s most significant event is the Finn dinghy world championship between 1st and 9th September, which will be held in Balatonföldvár. Laser European Championship – which also falls into the category of Olympic ships – will be hosted by Balatonfüred Yacht Club (BYC), which is celabrating its 150th birthday this year. The European championship of one of the most active larger boat categories, the J/24 will also be held in Balatonfüred.
MVSZ has already won the hosting rights for more international competitions: Dragon European Champioship will take place in Balatonfüred in May, and Spartacus Sailing Club will provide a venue for Laser Radial European Championship.
Hungarian Windsurfing Association’s significant event will be the Raceboard European Championship in Balatonfüred between 4th and 9th September. President of organising committee Levente Nagy-Pál stated that the windsurfer association takes it as a great success that Hungarian windsurfing has been brought up from the underground, as more and more hobbyist and professionals are attracted by this watersport. He told that Raceboard is an extended Olympic category that contains the RSX that is also included in the Games’ program. 110-120 windsurfers are expected for the European Championship, 19-20 of them are Hungarians, which includes six times Olympian Áron Gádorfalvi. He might win the gold medal, as the Hungarian audience hopes.
At the end of the press conference, Lajos Kollár from MVSZ and Mihály Varga from MSZSZ signed a strategical cooperation contract.
FINA World Championships – It is the greatest sports event that Budapest has ever hosted. The fabulous city now has an opportunity not only to prove its organizing merits, but to also show foreigner visitors its spectacular sights. Here are the World Championship’s scenes in Budapest according to Origo.
Batthyány Square, Danube Bank
The square that was named after Hungary’s first prime minister serves as the scene of high diving. It will be the only scene which lies on the western bank of River Danube in the Buda area, and the fascinating building of the Hungarian Parliament will be visible on the other side of the river.
Batthyány Square will be the venue of probably the most spectacular event of the FINA World Championship, high diving. Female competitors will have to jump from 20, male competitors from 27 meters high into the water in the most scenic way possible.
It is not the first time when the square takes part in the international sports life: in 2003, Red Bull Air Race’s Hungarian grand prix could be splendidly viewed from there, as the racing planes glided above the Danube.
Duna Arena
Budapest’s most recent spectacle is Duna Arena, which will play a vital role during the competition. It consists of two main complexes: a base building with a capacity of 6,000 people and a temporary complex that will be constructed exclusively for the World Championship. We don’t have to worry, the base building was designed in a way that it will remain Budapest’s gem even after the demolition of the seasonal building. Its blocks will be shipped away and used elsewhere after the end of the competition.
Danube Arena, photo: MTI
Duna Arena has two swimming pools built according to Olympics standards, and the auditorium’s capacity will be increased to 12,000 people for the duration of FINA World Championship. The construction of this building was carried out in less than two years, and it is definitely of world-class quality.
Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Stadium
Photo: fina-budapest2017.com
This complex, which was named after Hungary’s first Olympic champion who also designed the building, is considered to be the Mecca of swimming and water polo. Since its opening in 1930, this stadium witnessed multiple generations of water polo teams developing into world champions with nine gold medals in Olympics and three gold medals in former FINA World Championships.
The stadium was extended multiple times. The most significant development took place in 2006, when the Tamás Széchy sector was built with a new open pool and a diving pool. This part of the complex got its name from a former master trainer.
The “Hajós” served as a venue for multiple world championships, with the world championship of water polo in 2001 and the European championship of swimming in 2006 and 2010 among them. It was also the scene of the world championship of pentathlon in 1954 and 1999 and a Champions League final.
Városliget lake
Photo: Daily News Hungary
Városliget lake, which has also been used for ice skating during the winter since 1830, lies in the neighborhood of Vajdahunyad castle and Heroes’ Square, latter of which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. This is a special venue among these five because of its fascinating natural environment.
Next to the lake, we can find the City Park Ice Rink, which was opened in 1900 and since then, it provided a venue to countless sports events, most notably the European championship of speed skating in 2012.
Photo: fina-budapest2017.com
This time, however, it is not ice but water is the one that fills up the place, serving as a pool for synchronized swimming. For the time of the FINA World Championship, two new mobile pools will be installed.
Hopefully the combination of Heroes’ Square monumentality, Vajdahunyad castle’s glory and the beautiful environment of the lake will charm the foreigner audience the same way as it does with us Hungarians.
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The most exciting race can be expected this year at the 49th Kékszalag Erste World Grand Prix, in which the most fascinating renovated ships and modern technology’s jewels struggle for victory.
As it can be read on Turizmus.com, the race is going to start on 6th June and the hosts expect a participation of 600 ships and about 3,000 people in case of favorable weather. According to the tradition, the starting line will be in front of the quay of Balatonfüred. The most spectacularly fast ships will start from the starting line’s northern sector, close to the audience, so a fascinating sight can be expected.
The length of the race has been the same since the first Kékszalag (Blue Ribbon) in 1934. The ships sail from Balatonfüred to the direction of Balatonkenese. Bypassing the mark in front of Kenese, they head towards Siófok. From this point, they go through the Tiszta Strait to Keszthely, from where they return to Balatonfüred. The record time of this 155-kilometer-long distance is held by a Hungarian sailboat with two masts and two hulls named Fifty-fifty. The catamaran’s top time in 2014 was 7 hours 13 minutes 57 seconds.
In the recent years, multihull ships have taken the lead and they end up in first place in absolute evaluation in most cases. Traditional single hull ships are awarded separately, including such treasures as the three cruise ships that were renewed in the recent 15 years: Sirocco, Nemere II and Lillafüred, and also Hungária that represented Hungary in the 2018 Olympics.
The 49th Kékszalag Erste World Grand Prix is in the climax of a series of events in Balatonfüred. On the weekend before the regatta, the Fehér Szalag (White Ribbon) GeneralCom Grand Prix will take place, and on the day before the great race, Kékpántlika Erste World Cup will be held.
Anyone can follow the race live due to the newest developments of technology. There is no need for Internet subscription or SIM card to use NauBitSmartBoat’s service and the Kékszalag application, which uses Antenna Hungária’s new LoRa-based IoT network.
Rooms are running out for the Championships. Occupancy of hotels in Budapest doubled for July compared to last year, states Magyar Idők.
Hotels in Budapest receive many bookings for the time of the FINA water sport world cup: accommodation will be 25-30 percent more expensive than in the main season.
During the season of city visits, Budapest’s tourist commerce is going favorably: the traffic of hotels exceeded last year’s data in March and April, and it seems to continue in May as well.
Less than two and a half months are left until the water sports world championship, for which the room bookings from abroad have already began: interested people seek 4-5 star hotels depending on their financial status, but houses and alternative types of accommodations are also popular during this period, as Tamás Flesch told Magyar Idők.
Several hundred thousand visitors are expected during the championship
The vice president of the Association of Hungarian Hotels and Restaurants said that there are still free accommodations in Budapest from the middle of July. Average room prices are 25-30 percent higher than in a usual summer season due to the international championship.
It might seem more expensive for travelers than the usual prices in Budapest, but they should consider that in comparison to the region, we are still under the average prices of Vienna, said the vice president, stating that hotels need to raise prices in order to be effective parts of the salary improvement, which hinders the most critical problem in the branch: the moving of workforce.
As he claimed, currently half of the rooms in Budapest are booked for the more than two week-long water sports world cup, and they are already full for the day of the Formula One Grand Prix.
“In July and August, tourist traffic is quite heavy in Budapest anyway, and it is significantly enhanced by the upcoming sporting events,” said the associate representative. He told that this year will be determined by sporting events: Along with Budapest, Győr and its surroundings can expect heavy traffic during the European Youth Olympic Festival at the end of July, and also during the judo world championship in August.
“According to our most recent data, the number of bookings in Budapest has already doubled for between 14th and 30th July compared to last year,” told marketing manager of Szallas.hu Judit Drávai-Mészáros said that there are still accommodations left for the time of the FINA world cup in Budapest and near the venues of the competition, as the hotels haven’t shut down the booking opportunities yet.
She added that there is great interest for the water sports world cup in Balatonfüred. According to the most recent records of Szallas.hu, it is the fourth among the ten most visited Hungarian cities; the number of bookings has increased by roughly 38 percent compared to last July.
“There are also free rooms left in Balatonfüred for the time of the world cup, 75 percent of the local capacity is still unoccupied,” noted Judit Drávai-Mészáros.
The water sports world cup in summer is the third greatest sporting event after the olympics and the FIFA World Cup, and the host FINA is expecting 700,000 visitors for the masters contests following it in August.
Financial manager of water sporting world cup and government commissioner Balázs Fürjes noted that several hundred thousand people are expected for the championship, but the accommodation capacity of Budapest can handle the pressure.
Hungarian cruiserweight champion Imre Szellő has put himself in the frame for a shot at the WBO world cruiserweight title, currently held by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, after he kept up his unbeaten professional record with his 17th straight win coming over Tamás Tóth at the Lakeside Hotel, Székesfehervár.
Szellő is arguably the brightest boxer in Hungary today and in beating Tóth, he defended the WBO intercontinental title, which boosts his ranking with the organisation and adds his name to the list of possible contenders for Usyk in the near future.
It was Szellő who took control of the contest from very early into the bout, as he dominated with the jab and forced Toth to be on the back-foot. Eventually, Szellő pushed for the stoppage in the fifth round and he got it when referee Micky Vann stopped the fight as Toth was struggling to see due to a cut above his right eye.
The 34-year-old competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing but only made his professional debut in 2014. He won the Hungarian cruiserweight crown after just his second fight, where he beat Gyula Bozai by unanimous decision after ten rounds.
Szellő took a big step towards a world title shot when he won his intercontinental title, where he defeated Brazilian Hamilton Ventura for the belt last September. Since then, he has had wins over Drazan Janjanin and Garrett Wilson; the former of which he beat by technical knockout in the seventh round of their contest.
If Szellő does sign a deal to fight Usyk for the WBO cruiserweight title, he will be facing the number one ranked boxer by The Ring Magazine in the division. The man, who is nicknamed The Cat, won the gold medal in the heavyweight category at the London Olympics. He has not tasted defeat yet in his professional career, which spans 12 fights, while ten of those victories have come via stoppages.
Usyk won his world title back in September when the judges unanimously gave him the decision over Poland’s Krzysztof Glowacki in an excellent performance in Gdansk. Since then, he has defended his title twice, beating Thibiso Mchunu and Michael Hunter.
Szello’s promotional team will also be looking at the other options in the cruiserweight division. WBA champion Denis Lebedev and IBF holder Murat Gassiev are set to meet in a unification contest later this year. Gassiev beat his Russian compatriot in a split decision last December. He is the odds-on favourite at 1/2 to get the better of Lebedev again. If you are looking to have a bet on that contest though, it may be worth taking a look at the sign-up offers available from the leading bookmakers, which can be found on comparison sites such as www.latestbettingsites.co.uk .
The other world champion in the cruiserweight division who has yet to announce his next fight is Mairis Briedis. The Latvian won the WBC belt which was vacated by Tony Bellew when he got the better of Marco Huck earlier this month.
Whatever route Szellő goes down, it is only a matter of time before a world title shot is presented to him where he’ll be looking to add his name to a Hungarian boxing history.
Hanna Szabó and Patrícia Balogh will represent Hungary at the World Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida, on April 26-28, szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu writes.
The Hungarian duo will perform in front of a live audience of 5,000, and millions watching at home on the channel ESPN. Hanna Szabó and Patrícia Balogh are participating in the most prestigious cheerleading competition for the second time, and they have a great chance of reaching the finals in freestyle double dance category.
In 2016, the duo of the ELTE Cheer Team made sport history when they became the first Hungarian team to compete at the prestigious international competition, where they finished at the 15th place.
The team has been training for the competition for over a year. The trainer of the duo is the vice-president of the Hungarian Cheer Federation, Rita Kovácsik. “I’m proud that university athletes will represent our country at the most prestigious competition of the year. Performing in the USA is an incredible experience in itself, which makes the year-long training and the sacrifices at the university all worth it,” she says.
Patrícia Balogh, who is studying food science at the Szent István University, says it’s not easy to manage all their obligations. “We go to university, we train 5-6 times a week, and we also work as trainers. Time management is difficult, and our private life suffers it the most, but cheerleading is our life.”
Hanna Szabó, who is majoring in Italian at Eötvös Loránd University, states that these competitions are the best opportunities to promote the sport in Hungary. “As children, we dreamed about wearing our national colours, but we never did any sports that would have made it possible, so we gave up. The fact that we eventually succeeded, makes us incredibly proud and we’ll do everything to make the people of Hungary proud as well.”
The ICU World Cheerleading Championships will be held at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. 12,500 dancers from 70 countries will compete at the event.
The International Cheer Union has 106 member nations and over 4.5 million athletes worldwide. At the end of last year, cheerleading was given provisional Olympic status, which raises the possibility of the sport being included at the Olympics.
Great prizes, celebrated players – snooker is flourishing again after its 150-year-old history. Although there is no vibrant snooker life in Hungary, one gentleman, Gábor Buzás, sports commentator at Eurosport TV Channel is working on changing the current situation, Forbes.hu reports.
At the end of the 19th century, there were so many British soldiers, and they had so much spare time in India, that pool begun to be less popular, and completely new rules were developed with using the equipment at disposal. This is how snooker was born.
The game was popular among the soldiers in the crown colony at first. It was not until more than half a decade later when the first snooker world championship had been organized. In 1927, a famous snooker player, Fred Davis defeated everyone, and until 1946, he did not have any tough opponent. He later retired, because it turned out that his younger brother proved to be a potential opponent, who would have been able to defeat the champion. After WWII, due to the lack of interest and sponsors, championships had not been organized until the 80s when the first televisions and colourcasts appeared. Fans continued to pull for their favourite snooker player sitting in the sofa, because it was more comfortable. No serious prizes could be won at that time but, thanks to the spread of televisions and broadcasting sports events, the world has become familiar with the players. In 1985, 18.5 million excited British watched the snooker championship in TV.
Snooker had slowly become a profitable game. Prizes of a few hundred pounds became grand prizes of 25 million pounds. The winner received 6000 pounds in 1977, 60,000 pounds in 1985 and 270,000 pounds in 2003. This year, the winner of the snooker championship taking place between 15 April and 1 May may receive 375,000 pounds. For the title of Masters, players can receive 200,000 pounds, for the title of UK Championship, they may receive 170,000 pounds, and for the title of China Championship, they can win 200,000 pounds. The lowest grand prize to win this season is 25,000 Euros.
Bulcsú Révész, the ten-year old talent photo: Facebook/Révész Bucsú
The Hungarian snooker flourished at the beginning of the 90s. (…) At that time, snooker was played in the rural regions, whereas today, it is limited to Budapest. (…) There have been about 50 entrants at Hungarian contests recently. Hungarian players are amateurs. Currently, no money prize can be won, and this is what I try to change. We are now having two talented young gentlemen, the thirteen-year-old Attila Horváth, who was a finalist at the national championship last year; and we also have the ten-year-old Bulcsú Révész, who, according to experts, will dominate the Hungarian field. My aim is to deploy as many gifted Hungarian players as possible.
Attila Horváth, the gifted thirteen-year-old gentleman photo: Facebook/Horváth Attila
Gábor Buzás sports commentator told Forbes.hu.
The Hungarian sports commentator has even launched a fundraising in the interest of the gala taking place on 18 March. It proved to be effective, because he original aimed to collect 16,000 Dollars, but it duplicated after four months. There is a huge interest in the gala, especially because the champion of 2010, Neil Robertson, and the two-time world champion Ali Carter are also going to participate.
Index.hu writes that the visuals of the mobile pools and stands for the events held in the City Park have been released. We knew that the organisers were planning to have some events on the City Park Lake, but no one could really imagine how it would look like. Well, it turned out that the visuals are available on the website.
“Finally there will be more green areas in the City Park” as the members of a City Park protector Facebook group write satiristically. And they are right, the bottom of the pools designed for the lake is definitely green on the following visual.
It turns out from the attached text that the stands will be able to fit 5000 spectators. They summarise the story of the lake and the ice-rink, and then get down to the matter: “Even though the ice-rink has been the home of many winter sport events, it will show a new side of her at the 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships. The new challenge is posed by the organising of synchronised swimming events, which come hand in hand with the performance of two mobile pools. The unique premier might even be the start of a new tradition because of the given from the picturesque environment, the monuments of Heroes’ Square, the Vajdahunyad Castle and the Műcsarnok (Art Gallery).”
Unfortunately, they don’t write whether or not the pools will float on the water (not likely) or stand in the lake (likely), and whether or not there will be water in the lake during the period (probably not). Nevertheless, there were people who wondered how the structure would take the rampage or the simple movement of spectators if it was to be floating on the lake. Others wondered if the old concrete bed could take the pressure of a higher water-spout if the structure was to be built on the underlay.
We don’t know the answers to these questions, but Index has a reasonable point: how will 5000 people get in and out the venue quickly, without a hitch? Nonetheless, this amount of people wouldn’t be much more than what the museums will attract. So the idea might even work if it’s well thought out.
