According to a report, the sustainability initiatives of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest are a good example of what sport needs to do to tackle climate change.Continue reading
One of the capital’s most beautiful symbols, the Liberty Statue on Gellért Hill, will be featured on the medals of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, starting next Saturday, and for the first time in the history of the sport, all three of the medal-winning coaches will receive them, reports Magyar Nemzet.
The organizers have announced that the Budapest World Championships will be the first to be held outside the stadium, with concerts and entertainment in the purpose-built Medal Plaza, alongside the opening ceremony and the supporters’ zones.
The Liberty Statue commemorates those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary. Photo via csodalatosmagyarorszag.hu
Eleven days before the start of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the medals that will be awarded to the podium finishers were unveiled.
The central figure on one side of the medals is the World Cup emblem, one of Budapest’s most recognizable landmarks, the Liberty Statue at the top of Gellért Hill. The female figure holding a palm branch is a symbol of the will to fight, glory, and victory.
In the foreground of the reverse side of the medals is the brand new National Athletics Center, reminiscent of the Queen of Sports’ crown, with the racecourse in the background.
The medals took three thousand man-hours to create, from design to ribbon sewing, using a total of 140 kilograms of precious metal and 450 meters of ribbon. Sustainability was also an important factor in their creation: the World Championship medals are made from 146 kilograms of responsibly managed forestry paper and are lined with leftover material from the National Athletics Center’s race track.
Budapest will be the first World Athletics Championships where medals will be awarded not only to the medalists but also to their coaches.
These innovations will make the first Hungarian World Athletics Championships unique.
Photo via MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt
The World Championships will also be the first where the medal ceremony will take place outside the stadium, in the Medal Plaza, which is essentially a concert stage where the awards ceremony will have real festival atmosphere.
The Medal Plaza will also be a bustling entertainment center with live music performances every day. Here is a selection of the performers: Margaret Island, Lotfi Begi, Parno Graszt, Heroes, and Yamina.
The World Athletics Championships in Budapest will also be special, as in addition to watching the world’s best athletes and cheering on the Hungarian ones, the event will offer additional recreational opportunities: concerts, entertainment, and activities related to athletics in the fan zone will complete the experience, emphasized Ádám Schmidt, the World Championships’ Government Commissioner.
Tickets for the World Cup can be purchased at ticket.wabudapest23.com/hu. Morning tickets are priced at HUF 3,000 (EUR 7.71), while evening tickets start at HUF 6,900 (EUR 17.74) on weekdays and HUF 8,900 (EUR 22.89) on weekends. In total, there will be nine evening and five morning programs during the World Championships, and six free-to-attend street races starting and finishing at Heroes’ Square. The women’s marathon will start on August 26 and the men’s marathon on August 27 at 7 a.m.
Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured photo via Facebook/World Athletics Championships Budapest 23