According to Zsolt Gyulay, the president of the Hungarian Olympic Committee (MOB), it is a great pleasure, but also a great responsibility, to be invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to organize the Olympic qualification competition in four sports in Hungary in June.
Of course, this is a great pleasure and an honor, and it can obviously be attributed to the fact that Budapest has hosted many major world competitions in the last 6-7 years - said the sports leader in the M4 Sport National Sports News on Friday morning, after four new sports, sports and urban The executive committee of the IOC chose Budapest as one of the venues for the Olympic qualification series that combines culture.
According to Gyulay, the 2019 Urban Games, which were successfully organized in Budapest, played a role in the current request, and the World Athletics Championships in August also gave a huge boost to the Hungarian organization at the IOC.
Obviously, this is a great happiness and a great responsibility, he added.
In the sports of BMX freestyle, breakdancing, skateboarding and sport climbing, at least half of the quotas in Paris, a total of 464 starting places, are allocated through the qualifier consisting of two stations. The first competition will be held in Shanghai in May, and the second from June 20 to 23 at the Ludovika Campus.
The Ludovika Campus is a fantastic venue. In practice, almost everything is ready there and we can receive the competitors - emphasized Zsolt Gyulay, also mentioning that at the general meeting of the European Olympic Committees held in Istanbul on Sunday, IOC President Thomas Bach spoke about, among other things, that the Olympic movement must open up to young people and these sports must be brought to the city, they must be brought close to the spectators.
Young people are receptive to these sports and I think the Olympic movement also needs this - said the president of the MOB.
Zsolt Gyulay mentioned that the IOC's invitation must be accepted by the general assembly of the MOB, therefore an extraordinary board meeting will be held on Saturday, and a general assembly vote next week.
The Executive Committee of the IOC will hold its meeting in Mumbai in the next few days, and from Sunday to Tuesday, the Inda metropolis will host the General Assembly of the International Olympic Committee, which is also of great importance from a Hungarian point of view. In this regard, Zsolt Gyulay highlighted that he hopes that Balázs Fürjes will be elected as a permanent member at the event. The adoption of the program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles will also be an important issue. Among the traditional sports, boxing, pentathlon and weightlifting are also at risk.
"I'm a bit skeptical about these sports. At the same time, I think that no matter how much danger boxing is in, it will be in the program and I trust that the pentathlon will also be in this new, renewed form. Weightlifting is in great danger," said the MOB president.
"Obviously, we stand up for traditional sports, but I see in the international movement that innovation, constant renewal, and innovation are inevitable. The International Olympic Committee must move with the trends if it wants to increase or maintain its revenues. That way, I am sure that new sports will be introduced," he added.
During the conversation, the location of next year's Olympics was also discussed, Gyulay said that the recently experienced "chaotic situation" has not gotten better in the past period, so the MOB must prepare for everything. When arranging transportation, for example, the locals often suggested that the competitors use the subway.
"We have different basic ideas regarding the arrangement. It was not by chance that Budapest won the Olympic qualification competition either. In Paris, the conditions will be different, but we have to adapt. There has been such an Olympics and there will be one," declared the former classic athlete, who won gold medals in the 500-meter individual kayak and the men's kayak four at the 1988 Olympics. - "At the same time, I see that we will get to all the competition venues, we have managed to reserve a good area in the village, although we are still fighting a little for a better location. But I think this will not be a problem and it will not depend on how many medals we win".
Hungary currently has 58 quotas or qualifying results for the Paris Games, which, according to Gyulay, is good relative to time. He stressed that he is very confident that the hoped-for number of 160-180 people will be maintained, which will require quotas in team sports.
MTI
