2024-11-11 12:40:00
Candidate for the organization of the 2024 Games until its withdrawal from the race – therefore paving the way for the double attribution between Paris and Los Angeles – the Hungarian capital is today seen as a potential contender for the hosting of an edition of the Games from 2036. The Mayor of Budapest, however, recently set his conditions for the prospect of a new candidacy.
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Dn the race for the 2024 Olympics, the « Pearl of the Danube » had presented a project fundamentally designed around the rich heritage of the city and with the aim of rethinking the very model of the Games.
As Balázs Fürjes, then President of the Budapest 2024 Bid Committee, explained, during an exclusive interview with “Sport & Society” in October 2016 :
The Budapest Olympic Games will be an opportunity for the Olympic Movement to re-engage with mid-sized cities and create opportunities across the world.
Antwerp, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Stockholm and Helsinki – cities similar to Budapest – all hosted the Olympic Games with enormous success.
The Budapest 2024 plan reintroduces this refreshing model of compactness, of intimate and integrated Games in the city, and allowing the acceleration of existing projects.
Hosting the Olympic Games in Budapest will restore the heritage of these medium-sized Olympic Cities.
Eight years after this declaration and a little more than seven years after the withdrawal of the Hungarian candidacy, the philosophy of that time remains current.
If by chance a new project were to emerge in Budapest, it seems certain that the outlines of the concept designed for 2024 will be largely integrated into an application for 2036, or even 2040 or 2044.
In any case, before considering entering into dialogue with the Future Host Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in accordance with the new version of the designation process, the competent authorities must mark each of the points- keys to a possible project, knowing that the City of Budapest will necessarily have to work in concert with the Hungarian State, without also forgetting the essential assistance of private partners.
However, for the moment, the Mayor of Budapest is being particularly cautious, having simply informed the Municipal Assembly of the request from the Hungarian Olympic Committee and the Hungarian Paralympic Committee to take part in the information process proposed by the IOC to destination of territories interested in the Games or likely to be so, without commitment and without constraint.
Also, the establishment of a dialogue with associated parties remains conditional on several principles as specified by Gergely Christmas in a press release addressed to the Hungarian news site « Index » :
Last week I discussed this request with all political groups.
The discussions confirmed the position that, given that the request does not refer to the assumption of obligations or the concrete submission of an offer, the decision of the Municipal Assembly would be premature.
Several representative groups emphasized that the formulation of the municipal position must be preceded by the preparation of a thorough and public feasibility report.
Following the negotiations, in addition to continually informing the political groups, I will participate in the process as Mayor of Budapest, with the understanding that any substantive decision or any type of commitment will only be made through a resolution of the Municipal Assembly.
Beyond the imperative of creating a consensus within the said Assembly in order to be able to move forward, the municipal councilor also intends to involve the citizens of his city, without ruling out the possibility of resorting to a nationwide referendum.
As he mentioned:
No firm proposal will be submitted to the Municipal Assembly without prior consultation with the citizens of Budapest.
In the orientation process, I will demonstrate that Budapest does not need to build a stadium, but on the contrary, public transport, the city’s infrastructure and the road network need to be improved and the housing crisis addressed. mitigated, all on the basis of strategic plans accepted by the City and in the light of needs independent of the Olympic Games.
In order for the citizens of Budapest and the Municipal Assembly to make a well-founded decision, a feasibility report containing the development plans of the territory must be prepared and presented for public debate no later than September 30, 2026.
Gergely Karácsony, Maire de Budapest, en septembre 2024 (Credits – Gergely Karácsony / Page officielle Facebook)
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Underlying this position, the Mayor of Budapest wants to ensure the support of the population before committing the Community – and its finances – to an enterprise of the size of the Games.
An element all the more important when we know that popular support was ultimately lacking for the previous candidacy under the referendum dynamic encouraged by the movement « Momentum » who is also one of Gergely’s main supporters Karácsony since his election as Mayor in October 2019.
The latter also wants to force the State to commit to providing the necessary means if, where applicable, an Olympic and Paralympic candidacy were to materialize around Budapest.
The one who presented his candidacy in a primary election in 2021 with a view to being head of the list of a large coalition of opponents of the Prime Minister in office for the legislative elections of 2022, on this point did not fail to target the government which, according to him, did not respect its financial participation commitments with a view to work related to the holding of the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Obviously, a candidacy from Budapest is not yet on the verge of being secured, even though European and international competition is becoming stronger.
Although the IOC is not planning to designate the Future Host for 2036 in the short term – probably not before at least 2026 – the number of contenders for the 2036 edition and the following ones is at this stage relatively large, according to the IOC President with, for Budapest, direct competition from Germany.
In this sense, Hungary could wait to know the next directions ofa German application prioritized for the 2040 deadline before officially launching into the race.
Considering this and in light of the deadline mentioned by the Mayor of Budapest for the unveiling of the conclusions of the feasibility report, we would then have to wait until the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027 to see a possible Hungarian project installed with , in sight, one of the next three editions available for the organization of the Summer Games (2036, 2040, 2044).
A first deadline will in any case be closely scrutinized by the Hungarian authorities, at local and national level – but also by all declared candidates – namely the election of the next IOC President in spring 2025.
The chances of pursuing the Olympic and Paralympic ambition will also partly depend on who emerges from the polls, knowing for example that Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. had strongly encouraged the deployment of a candidacy during a trip to Budapest in 2022 .
As stated by the son of the former IOC President (1980-2001) and today one of seven competitors to succeed Thomas Bach :
The Hungarian Olympic Committee is on a clear upward curve, which is also seen in the fact that many new facilities are being built in Hungary. There are few countries where the Olympic Movement is looked after so conscientiously.
Now there’s only one thing left: aim for the Olympic Games!
You have the passion for it, the experience, good sports diplomacy and governance is focused on sport.
There are few countries on the “Old Continent” that would be better suited to host the Games than Hungary.
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The Mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, has emphasized the importance of public consultation before submitting any proposals for hosting the Olympic Games to the Municipal Assembly. He asserted that future plans should focus on addressing critical issues such as public transport, infrastructure improvements, and housing crises, rather than building a new stadium.
A feasibility report detailing development proposals must be prepared and made available for public debate by September 30, 2026, to ensure informed decision-making by both citizens and assembly members. This approach is a shift from previous candidacies, where public support was lacking, notably during the campaign led by the Momentum movement, which Karácsony supports.
The Mayor also stressed that the Hungarian State should commit to financing any potential Olympic bid, highlighting past failures of the government to meet its financial obligations related to the 2023 World Athletics Championships. While Budapest’s candidacy is not imminent, it is navigating a landscape of increasing competition for future Olympic editions, particularly as Germany considers a bid for the 2040 Games.
The timeline suggests that a formal Hungarian Olympic project could emerge around late 2026 or early 2027, coinciding with key developments, such as the upcoming election of a new president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in spring 2025. Support from influential figures, like Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., who has noted the positive trajectory of Hungary’s Olympic movement, could play a crucial role in shaping Hungary’s aspirations to host the Games in the future.
