Budapest World Athletics Championships Fan Zone Opens

The Budapest World Athletics Championships fan zone opened on Tuesday at the downtown Erzsébet Square, where exclusive programs, prizes, unique souvenirs and other surprises await visitors. Fans will be able to learn about running, walking, jumping and throwing, and by trying out these sports they can collect points for which they will be rewarded at the gift stall.

The World Championships volunteers will be on hand to help at six activity points. Visitors will be able to measure their center of gravity lift, and at the Sky high station they can even try to approach Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis’ world record of 6.22 meters with a trampoline and rubber bands. They can also try out the start machine for a short sprint, and longer distance fans can experience the average speed of marathon runners on the continuously accelerating treadmills. They can even take part in virtual races at the VR station.

“I am confident that if children try these activities, they will be encouraged and can tell their parents that they want to try athletics under normal conditions,” Ádám Schmidt, State Secretary for Sport and Government Commissioner for the World Athletics Championships, told MTI.

The President is also preparing for the biggest sporting event. Katalin Novák received Sebastian Coe, President of the international federation World Athletics at her office at the Sándor Palace, after which she emphasized that Hungary is ready for the World Athletics Championships starting on Saturday, and is looking forward to hosting one of the world’s biggest sporting events and the athletes and fans competing in it.

“Once again an opportunity for us Hungarians to show the world what we are capable of,” the President wrote about the event. The opening ceremony of the World Athletics Championships will take place on Saturday, when Katalin Novák will give a speech and officially open the event.

Just met the President of @WorldAthletics @sebcoe and I assured him: #Hungary is ready for the World #Athletics Championships starting on Saturday @wabudapest23 and happy to host one of the biggest sports events in the world, the approximately 2,000 athletes participating in… pic.twitter.com/qbmP4gtEW6

— Katalin Novák (@KatalinNovak_HU) August 15, 2023

The biggest sporting event in Hungary’s history, which will see the largest ever Hungarian team of 63 competitors, will be held at the National Athletics Center between 19 and 27 August, with the street running and walking events taking place in Heroes’ Square, downtown.

The Hungarian Athletics Federation is hoping that the Hungarian team members will be able to perform at their individual best in the competition, with the best result anticipated from European silver medalist in the hammer throw, Bence Halász.

Géza Scheidler, director of sports administration, said that the federation had taken advantage of the fact that the host country could qualify athletes for the World Championships in three different ways, reports Nemzeti Sport. However, he stressed that 32 Hungarian athletes in 35 events qualified for the World Championships on their own right, meaning that they could compete even if the event were not held in the Hungarian capital, and that 32 athletes would be a record as well.

Géza Scheidler pointed out that the competition in the sport is huge and previous World Championships have shown that Hungarian athletes have mostly finished in the midfield, with the best performances in the throwing events, especially in the hammer throw and discus. “We are dealing with the situation realistically. We would like to see national records and as many good individual performances as possible”, he concluded.

Featured photo via MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt