One hundred days before the start of the 17th World Swimming Championships (25m), the organising committee held a press conference, attended by Brent Nowicki, Executive Director of World Aquatics, Gábor Schmidt, Deputy State Secretary for Sports, Sándor Wladár, President of the Hungarian Swimming Association, the CEO of the organizing committee, Dávid Szántó and the legendary László Cseh, the event’s international ambassador, who as a competitor broke five short-course world records during his illustrious career.
With 100 days to go, on December 10, the most significant domestic swimming event of the year, the short-course world championships, organized by the National Event Organizing Agency and the Hungarian Swimming Association, will begin in the Duna Arena. With this six-day competition, Hungary becomes the first in the world of swimming to complete the “Organisers’ Grand Slam” by hosting the most significant events of World Aquatics (formerly FINA): the World Aquatics Championships, the World Junior Swimming Championships, the Swimming World Cup and now the World Swimming Championships (25m).
“Hungary and Budapest have always been a great partner of World Aquatics, the huge success of the 2017 and 2022 World Championships were only the two most spectacular occasions, in addition to these, the Hungarian Swimming Association carried out a series of other outstanding events, all of them at such a high standard , which can be set as an example to be followed by any other organizing team in the world,” stated Brent Nowicki, Executive Director of World Aquatics, at the beginning of the press conference.
“The Duna Aréna is the place where the world’s swimming family already comes home, one of the fastest pools in the world was built, which is surrounded by thousands of spectators who are fans of swimming at every major event. It’s no coincidence that the best competitors only speak of Budapest in superlatives,” added Brent Nowicki, who congratulated the Hungarian organisers on completing the “Grand Slam”.
Gábor Schmidt, the deputy state secretary for sports, explained: “This will be the first World Championship in Hungary, which we will organize after the move of World Aquatics to Budapest has already become a known fact. We can confidently say that this has made the Hungarian capital one of the most important aquatic capitals in the world. In addition to the fact that this is a significant success in sports diplomacy, the move of the international association to our country is also important because this way we can seize the sports professional opportunities that come with it. It should be a priority goal that the Hungarian sports life can raise the level in other water sports in addition to swimming and water polo, which have been delivering results for many decades. I would also like to thank President Husain al-Musallam and all the employees of World Aquatics for trusting us and being good partners not only for Hungarian sports, but also for Hungary. Together with the staff of the National Event Organizing Agency and the Hungarian Swimming Association, our goal will be to ensure that the athletes, the professionals who accompany them, the sports managers and the fans will once again be enriched with unforgettable experiences in the Duna Arena!”
“This will be the twelfth major competition for the current team, which we organise together; other countries reach this point in decades, if they get there at all – said Sándor Wladár. – Achieving the Grand Slam is a huge achievement, but let me say that it is the success and pride of the entire country and the entire swimming sport. We were able to submit winning bids and organise these events because Hungary has a very special relationship with sports. This includes the fantastic past and present of Hungarian swimming, the government’s firm commitment to sports, the atmosphere created by the fans that captivates everyone, the best swimming complex in the world, the Duna Arena, and the commitment of the organizing team. We try to raise the bar even higher each time, but certainly never lower the standard. That’s why we could regularly hear after the various world championships: this was the best-ever edition.”
László Cseh, the icon of the sport, considers it an honour to be the international ambassador of the championships. As a competitor, the Olympic silver and bronze medallist, world and European champion also excelled in short-course, although primarily in the continental showcases. He is19-times European champion, which is an absolute record – but he also has medals from the short-course Worlds, and also set s/c world records five times.
“It’s always a special feeling to compete on the home track” commented László Cseh. “I could enjoy that for the first time in 2006 on the Margaret Island, then at several more occasions. For he last time, at least in front of spectators, at the 2017 World Championships, which was one of the defining experiences of my career. The atmosphere that welcomes us in the Duna Arena gives the competitors a huge boost, it’s an outstanding experience even for foreigners, not to mention us, Hungarian swimmers.”
László Cseh briefly touched on the fact that in the 25m pool, those who excel at the turns and underwater kicks can prevail. According to Cseh, Hubert Kos, who has been preparing for a long time in the US and is developing tremendously in this part of swimming with Bob Bowman, can achieve excellent results in December, driven by thousands of fans.
Dávid Szántó, the managing director of the organising committee, has announced that ticket sales have started 100 days before the start. The director also revealed that the World Championships’ slogan is “Hold your breath!”, by which they did not primarily mean the underwater kicks of Hubert Kós and the other competitors, but rather the expected excitement – “after all, we are all waiting with withheld breath for the continuation of the Hungarian success series that is traditional at the big championships staged in Budapest.”
Due to the 100-day countdown on September 2nd and the coincidence of the start of school on that day, the organisers of the World Champs also thought of the schoolchildren starting the new education year and the charitable organizations dealing with children. In order to ensure that as many children as possible can enjoy a memorable experience before Christmas, the organisers will offer a total of 2024 tickets for the weekday preliminaries. More details can be found on the event’s website (worldaquatics-budapest2024.com).
