FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01 December 2016
Budapest’s "innovative" plan for sailing at the 2024 Olympic Games will
set new standards in allowing spectators to get up close and personal
with the sport.
That is the ringing endorsement of the Budapest 2024 bid made by
Alastair Fox, the Director of Events for World Sailing, after visiting
Hungary to inspect the proposed facilities.
The sailing events will be held at the popular tourist resort of Lake
Balaton, less than an hour and a half’s drive from the centre of
Budapest and accessible by modern highways of at least four lanes.
And according to Mr Fox, the ability to use an inland lake setting, rather
than open sea as in previous Games, will bring a whole new dimension
to the way the sport can be showcased.
He said: "In Balaton there is a unique opportunity to be innovative and
to get more people on the water to enjoy watching sailing.
"The conditions of open sea with wind and tides normally make it hard
from a spectator point of view, but the calmer waters of an inland lake
mean you can get people right in the middle of the action.
"It’s something we would want to really explore and encourage with the
Budapest team if their bid to get the Games is successful."
Sailing currently has ten events in the Olympic schedule covering ten
days of action.
Lake Balaton, as the largest lake in central Europe and one of the
region’s most popular tourist attractions, already has the hotel and
accommodation infrastructure to handle major events. The majority of
hotels in the Lake Balaton region has agreed to provide accommodation
for a Budapest Games in 2024.
Following Mr Fox’s visit, the Budapest 2024 bid team will be working
with World Sailing to create further innovative ideas to enhance the
spectator experience.
Attila Mizsér, Director of Sports for Budapest 2024, said: "A key part of
our strategy has been to meet with leaders of International Federations
for Olympic sports to best understand how we can put the athletes at
the centre of the Games and provide the best possible facilities to
ensure we continue to surpass the demands of world-class competition."
Enabled by the unique geography of Balaton and the collaboration
between the venues team and World Sailing, the plan is to develop a
water-based "stadium" environment, with spectator access to the
medals course and the finish line in a way that is not normally
achievable at a sailing event.
Ideas under discussion include using barges which are already based on
the lake, as well as making provision for other spectator boats to be
stationed safely around the courses.
Mr Fox added: "We have always aimed for a very strong legacy from
Olympic events, and the plans for Budapest would fit within that ideal.
"The events and the infrastructure they are looking to develop would
create a facility that would leave a long-lasting legacy in a very
significant area of Central Europe.
"One of our key messages is that sailing is an inclusive activity that is
an affordable sport for all. Holding the Games events in Balaton would
inevitably provide opportunities for huge numbers both to watch and to
then get involved in the sport themselves."
Budapest 2024 describes its master plan as a "real alternative" to the
larger capitals and mega cities that have hosted the Summer Olympic
Games in recent times. The initiative to create an unprecedentedly
intimate sailing event at Lake Balaton is one of many new opportunities
offered by Budapest’s mid-sized city and Hungary’s naturally accessible
geography, opportunities that are not possible in settings with a wider
urban spread.
- Named as European Capital of Sport 2019, Budapest is a high-value
city, with an excellent transport infrastructure and a long-term
sustainable development plan. The Budapest 2024 Olympic Bid proposes
a compact and intimate Games footprint in the capital, and a truly
nationwide Games that features sport in six other Olympic cities.
Budapest 2024 is dedicated to deliver an on-budget and inclusive
Olympic and Paralympic Games in one of the top 20 most peaceful
countries in the world. Sports-mad Hungary was one of the founding
members of the IOC and has participated in the Games since 1896.
Hungary is the only country ranked in the top ten of the all-time
Olympic Medal table that has not yet hosted the Olympic Games.
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