World Championship

Government transfers over EUR 23.11m in budget for 2017 FINA World Championship developments

Budapest, March 3 (MTI) – The government has ordered the transfer of more than 7 billion forints in this year’s budget for sports developments connected to the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, the official gazette Magyar Közlöny said on Thursday.

The 7.141 billion forints (EUR 23.11m) will be transferred from the allocation for a National Olympic Centre development project to the modernisation of water sports facilities and selected clubs’ development projects.

The economy minister and the development minister have been instructed to ensure that 1.362 billion forints is allocated for the same purpose during the planning of next year’s budget.

The affected development projects include swimming pool complexes in Budapest and in Balatonfűzfő in western Hungary.

Photo: MTI

Scandal and great developments at Lake Balaton

Balaton Balatonfüred view

According to napi.hu, the newest hotel of Lake Balaton will open in a few weeks at Balatonfüred. But the old-new Füred hotel is only an element of the great developments that are starting now. A part of the billionaire real estate project is connected to the World Aquatics Championships held next year. On the other hand, a prominent breakdown overshadows the optimism of the locals.

The opening of Hotel Füred is very close in time. The building that had been standing empty for years was brought back to life by János Czigle, a local entrepreneur, with an almost 1,5 billion state support. The specialty of the four star hotel of 220 rooms is that there is a conference centre in one of the wings, which can fit 800 people, and that makes the hotel and Balatonfüred capable of holding bigger events, conferences.

The entrepreneur also constructed two apartment houses near the hotel and they have been partially handed over to the owners. These apartments were sold two years ago at great prices. Napi.hu writes that a square metre cost far more than one million forints before the boost of the real estate market. The buyers weren’t too happy about the prices, but now they are probably much more satisfied that real estate prices also went up in Balatonfüred.

Scandal in Silver-way

The owners of another apartment house in Balatonfüred are not that satisfied, as the investor company of their building, found in the centre of the city, near the lake and Silver Hotel, became bankrupt last year.

The reason behind this is that the Silver de Lux Apartment Kft. didn’t pay for the work of the building contractor FÉSZ Zrt. so they started an executive order against the company that is in the interest of Tibor Barna and László Lácz. What makes the situation absurd is that, while Silver sold the apartments the ownerships hadn’t been transitioned, thus the whole building will be liquidated. The owners of the apartments lost their money, since they don’t dispose the apartments – they’ll only have a chance to rebuy them after the liquidation. The investor company claims that they rightfully held back more than 200 million forints since the finishing deadline was delayed with months. The argument is now at court.

Great developments on the way

The development of the city gets a new boost in the next weeks. This can be laid by the acceptance of the development programme concerning Lake Balaton and the World Aquatics Championships. Even though only two investments will be carried out until the start of the 2017 Championships, a whole row of developments are on their way. The city’s swimming pool will be finished in April. That will be the practicing, training area for the competitors. The 33 metre long pool will provide a great sporting opportunity for locals, but the grandstand, that can fit 300 people, will make it capable of holding smaller events as well.

According to Mayor István Bóka, the city’s visitor circulation grew by 10% last year. The lack of parking space is not only a problem in the summer but also in the off-peak period. The city tries to expand superficial parking spaces and also tries to construct an underground garage from own sources.

The city is the owner of one of the most beautiful huge campings at the lake where they’re also starting off notable developments. They are planning to develop the 22 hectare camping, which they bought for 2,4 billion forints from the SCD liquidation, into a four star category institution.

The developments will be complete with the new sailing dock and the residential lakeshore in the northern end of the camping. The investors rented a two hectare land for 800 million forints, for 50 years from the city. They plan on building a luxury residential community of 70-80 units there. The plans are ready; the contract has been signed so the construction can start shortly.

Photo: www.facebook.com/IBalatonfüred

Copy editor: bm

Budapest tops out main venue for 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships – Photos

Budapest (MTI) – General contractor Market Zrt has topped out the Dagály Aquatic Centre, the main venue for the 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships, six weeks ahead of schedule, government commissioner for priority investments in the capital Balázs Fürjes said on Friday.

The championships were originally planned to be held in Guadalajara, in Mexico, but the city pulled out a year ago for financial reasons, Furjes noted. FINA picked Hungary to host the event shortly afterward, leaving the country just two years to prepare, about half the usual time, he said.

“We’re running the marathon as a sprint, because we have no other choice,” he added.

About 5,000 people are working on the construction.

Hosting the championships is expected to cost Hungary 49 billion forints (EUR 158m), though the budget is seen recovering about 10 billion forints in the form of VAT, Fürjes said earlier.

Photo: MTI

Beach handball: here is the official logo of Budapest World Championship

According to nemzetisport.hu, the 7th Beach Handball World Championship will be held in the area of the Palatinus Bath on the Margaret Island between July 12 and 18. Men’s and women’s team will also fight for Hungary. The organizing committee has already started the preparation, and in this context, the official logo of the World Championship was presented.

The World Cup will be organised after he European Footbal Championship. It will be a great program for those who love handball and also for those who do not know handball.

The logo of the World Championship displays all of the beauty of beach handball: summer, hot sand, the lightness and the struggles of the sports, but it also shows the most important attractions of Budapest.

beach handball

The Hungarian women’s national team won the European Championship in 2013 and 2015, and finished 2nd in the World Championship in 2013 and 2014. The men’s team would like to get to the podium, after last year’s 4th place, in the European Championship, nemzetisport.hu wrote.

Photo: Strandkézilabda – MKSZ hivatalos oldala Facebook page

Copy editor: bm

FINA Conference gathers National Federations in Budapest

Daily News Hungary

According to FINA.org, in a FINA Conference preceding the FINA World Aquatics Gala – Soirée des Etoiles in Budapest (HUN), the FINA Family was briefed about the latest FINA activities and had the opportunity to be updated on the organisation of both the past 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan (RUS), but also about the two upcoming ones, the 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Windsor (CAN) and the 2017 FINA World Championships also in the Magyar capital. Finally, a special panel discussed the “Swimming for All, Swimming for Life” programme.

In his Opening speech, the FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione highlighted the main reason of the Budapest rendezvous, the reward of the FINA stars for their 2015 performances. “Behind these talented men and women, your work, as FINA Member Federations, is essential. You are FINA, and the choices you take are the only ones counting when we develop our activities and strategies”, Dr. Maglione said.

After underlined the challenges related to Sport in general during the last months, the FINA President listed the main goals for 2016: ”Reinforcement of the image and value of FINA and Aquatic disciplines; Continuation of FINA’s financial assistance to its members; Enhancement of commercial, sponsorship and TV agreements; Consolidation of our Development Programmes; Increased presence on social media and digital platforms; Organisation of a superb Aquatics competitions at the 2016 Olympics, consolidating FINA as a leading Sport in the Games’ programme”.

FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu then talked about the main FINA competitions for 2016, with the two highlights of year, the Rio Olympic Games in August and the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in December in the Canadian city of Windsor. Mr. Marculescu also recalled the top-6 events of the year: Swimming World Cup, Diving World Series, 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup, Water Polo World Leagues, Synchro World Trophy and High Diving World Cup.

About the Olympic Games, the FINA Executive Director informed the National Federations about the challenges concerning the venues, but ensured the FINA Family that everything possible will be done to guarantee the best conditions for all participants. On Windsor 2016, Mr. Marculescu expressed his confidence on an excellent organisation and announced the raise of prize money paid to the best athletes, now ascending to US$ 1.2 million.

Mr. Vladimir Leonov, Minister of Sport of the Republic of Tatarstan, recalled the success and enthusiasm concerning the organisation of the 16th FINA World Championships in Kazan (RUS), which registered two important records: the highest number of participating countries (184) and the best-ever TV cumulative audience worldwide with 6.8 billion viewers. Mr. Leonov recalled that the economic impact related to the organisation of the Championships reached over US$ 162 million, and that the legacy for the city is of paramount importance for its youth. “We are very proud of our organisation and we sincerely think that the FINA Family had an unforgettable experience in Kazan”, declared Mr. Leonov.

Drew Dilkens, the Mayor of Windsor, praised the excitement of Canada’s most southern city in hosting the 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), while Peter Knowles, CEO of the Organising Committee, gave practical information about visa procedures, transportation and accommodation plans, and competition and training venues. “We are a small city, but we are waiting the entire world to discover our vocation for staging a top-level event”, confessed Mayor Dilkens.

Budapest 2017 delegation was headed by the Government’s Commissioner Balazs Furjes, who shared Budapest passion for Aquatics and strong commitment to deliver an excellent edition of the FINA World Championships. Details were given on the proximity of the venues, namely the outstanding new Aquatics Centre, to be ready by the beginning of 2017.

”It will be the greatest sporting event our beautiful capital ever hosted. All the venues will be concentrated in the city centre and the Danube river will play an essential role in the atmosphere of these Championships”, considered Mr. Furjes.

In the last panel of the day, it was emphasised the importance of the “Swimming for All, Swimming for Life” programme, as to reduce the alarming rates of annual drowning, taking the lives of 380,000 persons. “In general, our International Federation is perhaps more known for the memorable events it organises and for the great Stars of our six disciplines. But as a world governing body, we think that we also have a social responsibility towards the ones still not acquainted with our magnificent and natural element, water. Our responsibility includes children, teenagers, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities, who can be victims of this unfortunate situation – drowning”, considered the FINA President.

Other guests in this Panel included Wilfried Lemke, United Nations Secretary General Special Adviser on Sport for the Development and Peace; Arnaldo Fuxa, President of UNESCO-CIGEPS, the intergovernmental body in charge of sport matters; and Osvaldo Arsenio, Chairman of the FINA Coaches Committee. “As part of our Development strategy, the United Nations is paying a lot of attention to Sport. As said by the UN Secretary General, ‘Sport is not a luxury’; in the case of Swimming, it’s not only a vital skill, but it is also a funny and healthy physical activity”, Mr. Lemke said.

Read more FINA news HERE.

Fukuoka and Doha to host 2021 & 2023 FINA World Championships

The FINA.org said, the Japanese city of Fukuoka will host the 2021 edition of the FINA World Championships and the FINA World Masters Championships, while Doha in Qatar will host the same two competitions in 2023. The decision was made after the vote of the FINA Bureau today in Budapest (HUN), some hours before the staging of the FINA World Aquatics Gala – Soirée des Etoiles.

The city of Nanjing (CHN) was the third bidder for the organisation of these Championships.

The FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione was happy to announce this decision at a press conference in the Magyar capital: “Today we were presented three extraordinary bids fulfilling all requirements and having great facilities. Both winning cities, Fukuoka and Doha, are strong partners of FINA and will offer optimal conditions for the organisation of these Championships. There is a very strong commitment from the local authorities to welcome this event in their respective dynamic metropolis.”

Doha previously hosted the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), while Fukuoka stages FINA’s showcase event for the second time, after a successful edition in 2001.

The Japanese delegation was headed by the very dynamic Mayor of Fukuoka, Soichiro Takashima, who spoke about his city’s passion for Sport: “I am only 41 years old, so I am a relatively young mayor for a city of 1.5 million people, the sixth largest in Japan. But I believe I represent this metropolis quite well, as Fukuoka is also a young city, known for its enthusiasm for aquatic sports. We had a great experience in 2001, and after the staging of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, we will have an additional opportunity to develop this successful tradition”.

The main concept of the 2021 hosts is simple: “Compact in size, Big in enthusiasm”, a motto that reflects the concentration of all the venues for the six aquatic disciplines in a 600m-radius. “We want to create a standard for the future editions of the FINA World Championships”, added Mr. Takashima, who was proud to display a video message from Kosuke Kitajima, the great Japanese breaststroke champion, supporting the bid.

From Doha’s side, Dr. Thani Al Kuwari, Secretary General of Qatar Olympic Committee, led the Middle East delegation and was successful in emphasising the added-value of his bid. “The FINA Family has been many times in Doha and everyone knows our true passion for organising top-events. Sport is an important tool for the development of our youth and of our country. Hosting the FINA World Championships for the first time in Middle East will be a great way to develop Aquatics on a global scale”, underlined Dr. Al Kuwari.

fina-budapest

Two main competition hubs will be created for the staging of FINA’s major event. At the Aspire Zone complex, will take place the Swimming, Synchronised Swimming and Water Polo events, while the Open Water Swimming and High Diving will take place close to an emblematic spot of the city, the Museum of Islamic Art.

Closing Doha’s presentation, young 14-year-old swimming talent Yacoub Al Khulaifi, expressed a heartfelt desire: “I want to swim in Doha, but at the FINA World Championships. It will be a dream for me, and, who knows, I can be the first world swimming champion from Qatar”.

Before 2021 and 2023, Budapest (HUN) will host the 2017 edition of the FINA World Championships and FINA World Masters Championships, while Gwangju (KOR) will stage these two competitions in 2019.

Photo: MTI

FINA World Championships 2017 – “It’s a great legacy for Budapest!”

FINA.org – “It’s amazing what has been done here in just eight months!” The FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione couldn’t hide his astonishment when visiting this afternoon the new Aquatics Complex, the main venue of the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest (HUN). Started in May 2015, the new facility will comprise two 50 m pools (one for competition and one for warm-up purposes) and one diving pool. When visiting the place, three days before the celebration of the FINA Aquatics Gala – Soirée des Etoiles in the Magyar capital, the FINA delegation praised the state of the construction, which will be ready by March 2017. 

According to fina.org, “It is a great facility, and it will definitively be an outstanding legacy for this beautiful city of Budapest. Hungary has already a solid tradition in Aquatics, so this new complex will bring an additional added-value to the passion this country has for our disciplines”, considered the FINA President, accompanied by FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu, and by FINA Vice-President and Chairman of the 2017 Organising Committee Tamas Gyarfas.

According to the plans for the Championships, the Swimming, Diving and Synchronised Swimming could take place in this venue, while the Water Polo tournaments would be played in the iconic site of Margaret Island. The Open Water Swimming races will take place in Lake Balaton.

The FINA delegation being received by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban 
The FINA delegation being received by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

FINA’s offical website said, before visiting this new Aquatics Complex (the main structure is already done and the place for the three swimming pools is visible), situated on the shore of the Danube River, the FINA delegation had a meeting with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “We received the full commitment of the Hungarian government concerning the organisation of these Championships. It will be the greatest sport event ever staged in Hungary”, underlined Dr. Maglione, in front of the future competition pool.

fina-2017-budapest-2

Read more FINA news HERE.

Copy editor: bm

WTCC – Hungarian driver Michelisz gets his big WTCC chance with factory Honda drive

According to WTCC’s offical page, Norbert Michelisz won’t waste his opportunity in becoming a factory driver in the FIA World Touring Car Championship for the first time.

The fiawtcc-com said, the winner of the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy for independent racers on two previous occasions, Michelisz will form part of the three-strong Honda factory entry in the 2016 WTCC.

And the Hungarian has vowed to do all he can to vindicate Honda’s decision to promote him from the privateer Zengő Motorsport team to the works JAS Motorsport outfit.

“I am thrilled to become a factory Honda driver in the FIA World Touring Car Championship with JAS Motorsport,” said the 31-year-old Hungarian.

“I have raced Honda machinery for the past three years and it has been an extremely good relationship that has enabled me to win races and take the Yokohama Trophy last year. I’m very grateful and hope I can repay the faith Honda have shown in me this year.”

Michelisz, a computer gamer turned ace racer, claimed an outright win on home soil in 2015 and took the DHL Pole Position Award in Japan with a scintillating effort in his privateer Civic WTCC. He placed sixth in last year’s overall standings.

Click here for more WTCC’s news.

Photo: MTI

Divers to have a new pool for the 2017 World Aquatics Championships

It is finally decided that divers will perform their jumps right opposite to the Parliament during the 2017 World Aquatics Championships. Also, Budapest and the government divided the costs of the pool and the surrounding infrastructure, writes hvg.hu.

The government is going to pay for the construction of different institutions, therefore the Hungarian National Asset Management Inc. (MNV) finances the location of the championship, the Dagály Swimming Complex and its renovation. MNV also covers the costs of the huge diving tower which will be located on Bem Quay near Batthyányi Square, and several other works such as the parking lots and the changing of different pipes.

The renovation of the Császár-Komjádi Sports Swimming Pool, the Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Stadium, and the Tamás Széchy Swimming Complex is financed by the National Sport Centres (MNSK), while Budapest covers the costs of pedestrian-and bicycle paths which run along the Danube in District V and XIII, the construction of a footbridge over the Rákos Brook, and the costs of the access control system at the Centre of the Margaret Island. MNSK also finances the full renovation of the Island (except for the sports facilities), and the construction of a ferry pier.

Photo source: mnsk.hu

Copy editor: bm

Futsal – Hungary, Ukraine qualify for world championship playoff

Budapest (MTI) – Both Ukraine and Hungary have qualified for the playoff of the world futsal championship.

Results of qualifiers played in Gyor, in western Hungary, on Friday:

Ukraine – Belgium 6:2 (4:2)

Hungary – England 5:4 (2:0)

futsal-hungary

Photo: MTI

Handball World Cchampionship – Hungary beats Serbia

Serbia – Hungary 32-26 (18-16)

Download (17)It looked like a walk over for the Hungarian team as the went into the lead by 10-4 in the 12th minute. The Hungarians even extended their lead to seven goals but in the last part of the 1st half the Serbs came back winning the last ten minutes by 8-2 making the half time deficit only two goals.

The Serbs had three times almost closed the gap but never came closer than one goal and in the dying minutes the Hungarians went further ahead.

They now have four points from the first two matches and the Serbs have one point.

Read more HERE.

Hungarian girl became the best bodybuilder in the world

Regina Zsigmond won the gold medal in the under 160 cm-s category at the World Bodybuilding & Physique Federation’s 7th World Championships. The competition was held last weekend in Thailand.

Szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu writes that the 21-year-old Hungarian girl works as a personal trainer. Her preparation for the competition lasted for 16 weeks. Her coach, Dorottya Németh, who is the main judge of the women’s category said: “I can’t even express how proud I am of all of my students. We are the world champion team.”

This is what Regina wrote to thank everyone who supported her:

“I became the world champion yesterday in Thailand! I still can’t believe it; my biggest dream came true with this result and hard work finally paid off.

I am not a weepy type, but when they said my name and the Hungarian Anthem started, I couldn’t hold back the happy tears.

Thank you for everyone who has helped and supported me in any way. Thanks for my trainers: Dorottya Németh, Wes van Staveren, Feri Staub. Last but not least my family, who supported me through foul and fair!”

The fitness world champion is also a Hungarian girl, Judit Bitsei, one of the founders of ExperiDance. She started competing after the encouragement of her coach, Adrienn Csörgő who is also a world champion. ExperiDance also supports her. Judit is through a five-month intensive preparation, which included 5 trainings with weights/week and a strict diet made up of mostly chicken breast, rice and oats. She was also dancing at 100% because the preparation was at the same time as the company’s tour in Germany.

Translated by Alexandra Béni

Photo: www.facebook.com/regina.zsigmond
Copy editor: bm

FINA executive director satisfied with Hungary 2017 championship preparations

Budapest (MTI) – FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu on Monday said he was “extremely satisfied” with preparations at Budapest’s Dagaly swimming centre for the 2017 World Aquatics Championships.

The executive director was in Budapest with a FINA delegation to inspect preparation works for the championships. Marculescu said the capital city had made significant progress since Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, FINA President Julio C. Maglione and Budapest Mayor István Tarlós laid the cornerstone of the Dagaly facility back in May.

Marculescu said he was certain that the facility would be completed on schedule. The executive director and Balázs Fürjes, government commissioner for priority investments, signed the arena’s final construction plans.

Hungary won the right to host the 2017 championships in March of this year. The event was originally planned to be held in Guadalajara in Mexico but the city pulled out for financial reasons.

Tímea Babos to play at the Tennis World Championships

Tímea Babos is going to be there in Singapore, at the last competition of the WTA-series. And yes, that is the World Championships of tennis where only the best can step on court.

Hosszabitas.hu writes that it became clear last Saturday that Timi and her partner Kristina Mladenovic made it. It is a huge achievement even if it is ‘only’ the women’s doubles. This has never been done by a Hungarian tennis player before. Even though they are not Grand Slam winners (yet), they were qualified because of their 5th place on the ATP World Tour ranking. Every year, the 8 best players, in this case doubles are qualified to play in Singapore. There is no chance that 3 doubles could get before them in the meantime, so this is now for sure!

“I’ve been waiting for the moment when they make our appearance official for days. I am very happy, this is huge! This is the goal we set in the beginning of the year concerning doubles. Although we haven’t won a Grand Slam, we did pretty well with Kristina this year. This is going to be her first time also. And I’m going to be the first Hungarian woman to play in doubles at the World Championships. This is a great honour and is very motivating. Thank you for everyone who has supported me! Thank you Thomas, my family and my fans!” wrote Timi on her official site.

“The girls had two goals for this year: to qualify themselves to the World Championships and to win a Grand Slam. Even though they weren’t able to win a Grand Slam, they have many achievements to be proud of. We knew that Timi is a great doubles player for a long time. She won many competitions as a junior for instance 3 Grand Slams. Then, she continued successfully among the adults seeing that she almost had different partners from week to week. We can be really proud of her achievement just like the Hungarian tennis society.” said Csaba Babos, Timi’s father and trainer, the leader of the technical team.

Timi was among the best doubles players even as a junior. She won at the Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open with Sloane Stephens in 2010.

This year, the double won in Dubai, Marrakesh and Rome. They defeated the World N°1 Martina Hingis-Sania Mirza duo in the Italian capital. They reached the semi-finals in Wimbledon, where Timi made it into the finals in mixed doubles category with Alexander Peya.

These achievements all show that the girls have a fair chance at the World Championships. Good luck for them!

translated by Alexandra Béni

Photo: https://www.facebook.com/babostimea

Zsanett Lakatos wins gold medal in 2015 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships

Zsanett Lakatos won gold medal in 2015 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in women’s C-1 on Friday’s opening day in Győr. The silver medal also went to a Hungarian athlete, Kincső Takács. Lakatos’ historic victory is all the more important because women’s canoe is included in Marathon World Cup program the first time.

Kincső Takács

No one threatened Lakatos’ victory; one and a half hours after the start she reached the finish line first; followed by Takács nearly five minutes later; while the bronze medal went to Marine Sansinena of France.

ADULT FEMALE C-1 (22.2 KM)
1. Zsanett Lakatos 1: 40: 37926 hours
2. Kincső Takács 1: 45: 27821
3. Marine Sansinena (France) 1: 47: 01,753

Photo: MTI

95-year-old swimmer sets new world record in 200m backstroke event

According to masters.kazan2015.com, Hungarian swimmer Bela Banki Horvath set the new world record (5:24.20) in the 200m backstroke event in the 95-99 age group. The previous record in this event and this very age group was set 21 years ago. By the way, 95-year-old swimmer Bela Banki Horvath is the maturest athlete at the 16th FINA World Masters Championships.

The Hungarian swimmer took questions from a reporter of the Kazan 2015 OC’s Press Office and revealed the secret of his longevity and amazing physical condition.

– How do you feel after the heat?

– Excellent. Pretty fresh, pretty healthy.

– What about the water?

– It was something unusual for me, something new, frankly I did not expect to swim so good. The water was also perfect and I broke the record. The previous one was set 21 years ago. It is a success!

– Have you competed at the Masters tournament before?

– Of course I have. It was 23 years ago when I first competed at these Championships. I’ve grabbed 13 gold medals over this time.

– What is the secret of your perfect physical condition?

– Good nutrition, healthy lifestyle and undoubtedly regular sport activities!

– How much time do you dedicate to sport?

– Not that much actually as I used to, I am 95 years old now but I every two days I still race 800m and try to do morning exercises.

– What can you wish younger athletes?

– Even when you start failing to show outstanding time, don’t stop. Keep on doing sport as a hobby and you will definitely set a record.

– Did you know you could break the world record?

– The Hungarian Masters Swimming Championships were held this January. There I finished in a better time than the word record. Unfortunately, my time was not registered because the pool was not equipped with high-tech timekeeping device. I knew I would swim better, but eight months passed between the competition and the Kazan Championships, so I had a serious training regime.

– Is there any age at which you have to leave sport?

– No. As I say: “As long as I live, I swim, and as long as I swim, I live.”

– Do you have grandchildren? Do they do sport?

– Yes. My grandson Piter has gone swimming since childhood. But when he was 17, I told him that it was time to stop and focus on studies.

– What has been the highlight of the Championships for you so far?

– I guess when my grandson ran up to the pool and shouted out my time has been the highlight for me so far. At that very moment I realised I had set a new world record as when I was swimming, I could not know it.

You can watch the video HERE.

2017 Budapest World Aquatics Championships’ website has been launched

According to atv.hu, to the signal of Julio C. Maglione, President of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), 2017 Budapest World Aquatics Championships’ website has been launched on Sunday.

At the press conference in Kazan Arena, which hosted the swimming competitions, the Uruguayan President of FINA evaluated with satisfaction the Kazan World Championship where the audience could saw 12 world records before the Sunday’s finals.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko thanked FINA’s confidence, and he said one of the biggest sporting events of Russia’s history had been organized and they hoped they had not disappointed anyone.

Tamás Gyárfás, Hungarian Vice President of FINA said, Russia had organized the World Cup at the highest level and he hoped Hungary would able to do well likewise.

Lajos Kosa, another President of the World Cup’s organizing committee emphasized: Hungary is not an easy situation by accepting the organization of the 2017 World Championship following the withdrawal of Guadalajara, Mexico. In addition, Russia hosted a fantastic World Cup, and now they have to surpass it.

“Hungary is doing well with the organization and welcomes everyone to the event taking place in 2 years.”

After that, to the sign of Julio C. Maglione, the website of the 2017 World Championships has been launched. Lajos Kosa said, one of the special feature of the Hungarian World Cup will be the new swimming pool and the giant jumping tower, which will be organized at the Danube’s section in front of the Parliament.

based on the article of atv.hu
translated by BA

Photo: MTI