Hungarian Athletics Association President: “We want to organise the best World Championships ever”
President of World Athletics Sebastian Coe and President of the Hungarian Athletics Federation Miklós Gyulai pose during the closing ceremony of Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 24, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
ADDIS ABABA, February 9, 2023 – The world’s third biggest sporting event is less than seven months away and preparations to deliver this pinnacle athletics event are going well, according to the organisers of the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships.
The 19th edition of the Championships will be held from 19-27 of August at the newly-built National Athletics Centre in the Hungarian capital is ready to welcome more than 2000 athletes from over 200 countries.
Miklós Gyulai, President of Hungarian Athletics Association and Member of the World Athletics Championships Budapest23 LOC said, preparations are well on track to achieve the event’s motto of “Witness the Wonder!”
In this exclusive interview with the AIPS, Gyulai is adamant that this event will revive athletics in his country. As a former celebrated athlete himself, he is also looking forward to witnessing Hungary's first gold medal in the history of the outdoor world championships.
What are your views of the Oregon22 World championships?
The sport has seen a huge boom in recent years, as evidenced by its growing popularity. Perhaps even at the World Championships in Doha, we already saw signs that the void left by Usain Bolt's retirement has been filled surprisingly early. Although the name Mondo Duplantis is known to almost all sports fans, no athlete could have filled this void. Besides the Swedish pole vaulter, there are many colourful and interesting personalities in the sport, who have reached new heights, first at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo and then at the World Championships in Oregon last year.
The final day of the last world champs was extraordinary, with the world record in the women's 100m hurdles and then the men's pole vault. Not only did Tobi Amusan and Mondo Duplantis end the event with world records, but also Sydney McLaughlin, who achieved previously unimaginable, results in the 400 m hurdles. She could also be a draw card for the coming years, including the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, as could Yulimar Rojas, who is approaching 16m in the triple jump, become an even bigger star.
What are the best experiences you will take to Budapest23 from Oregon22?
It was great to see the organisers working as one big community with great teamwork. The organising committee in Budapest is similarly well put together, so when we say we want to organise the best World Championships ever, we have the professional background to do it.
We are less than seven months from the event. How are the preparation for Budapest23 going?
I am pleased to announce that with less than 200 days to go, preparations are well underway on all fronts. Ticket sales started in mid-December and 100,000 tickets have already been sold. This is the quarter of the 420 000 tickets available for the nine evening and five morning programmes.
Tickets have already been bought from more than 70 countries; a big difference compared to the last World Championships. While the event in Oregon was mainly attended by spectators from the United States, we will be welcoming fans from all over Europe, as well as from further afield, such as the United States, where interest is particularly high. The best seats are selling out fast, so it's worth getting your tickets as soon as possible.
Our aim is to ensure that athletes, spectators and media representatives are catered for to the maximum. That is why it is also important that the recruitment of volunteers has started, with 3,500 people having signed up so far and the opportunity for everyone still open until 20 February. Their work will be just as important during the nine days of the World Champs as that of the members of the organising committee preparing the event.
What are the unique things about Budapest the world should know about?
Budapest is a centuries-old cosmopolitan city that everyone should visit! It has a rich history, culture, gastronomy and sport life, also its people are friendly and hospitable.
On the marathon and race walking routes, everyone can admire the historic centre of Budapest, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Budapest is a liveable, sporty city with endless possibilities. Everyone who comes to visit us between 19 and 27 August will experience this!
What can we expect at Budapest23 championships? Especially, in terms of organisation and facilities?
The track events will be held in a brand new stadium, the National Athletics Centre, where 35 000 people will be able to cheer on their favourite athletes and world records during the World Championships.
The facility is being built on the banks of the Danube on a previously contaminated and now completely regenerated site. After the World Championships, it will be open to everyone: there will be a green park with lots of trees, a running track on the upper level of the stadium and a pedestrian-cycle bridge linking Csepel, an outer district of the capital, with the city centre.
The completion of the National Athletics Centre will create the most modern athletics centre in the region, reviving the tradition of Hungarian athletics. Our athletes have collected a total of 174 Olympic, world and European medals over the past 125 years. Let's not forget that the outdoor world championship is the only missing element in the sport's rich history in Hungary, which includes 10 Olympic titles.
Your message to the world of Athletics?
Hungary is a peaceful, safe and welcoming country with sport at its heart. We have hosted every world athletics competition except the outdoor world championships, and many of you will remember the 1998 European Championships, where I also competed as a member of the 4x100 Hungarian relay. World competitions are a regular occurrence in our country, so a well-prepared organising team and a sporting nation will host the World Championships. Witness the wonder! - is the slogan of the event. I am sure that we will create something historic that will have a great impact on athletics and on Hungary.
The 19th edition of the Championships will be held from 19-27 of August at the newly-built National Athletics Centre in the Hungarian capital is ready to welcome more than 2000 athletes from over 200 countries.
Miklós Gyulai, President of Hungarian Athletics Association and Member of the World Athletics Championships Budapest23 LOC said, preparations are well on track to achieve the event’s motto of “Witness the Wonder!”
In this exclusive interview with the AIPS, Gyulai is adamant that this event will revive athletics in his country. As a former celebrated athlete himself, he is also looking forward to witnessing Hungary's first gold medal in the history of the outdoor world championships.
What are your views of the Oregon22 World championships?
The sport has seen a huge boom in recent years, as evidenced by its growing popularity. Perhaps even at the World Championships in Doha, we already saw signs that the void left by Usain Bolt's retirement has been filled surprisingly early. Although the name Mondo Duplantis is known to almost all sports fans, no athlete could have filled this void. Besides the Swedish pole vaulter, there are many colourful and interesting personalities in the sport, who have reached new heights, first at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo and then at the World Championships in Oregon last year.
The final day of the last world champs was extraordinary, with the world record in the women's 100m hurdles and then the men's pole vault. Not only did Tobi Amusan and Mondo Duplantis end the event with world records, but also Sydney McLaughlin, who achieved previously unimaginable, results in the 400 m hurdles. She could also be a draw card for the coming years, including the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, as could Yulimar Rojas, who is approaching 16m in the triple jump, become an even bigger star.
What are the best experiences you will take to Budapest23 from Oregon22?
It was great to see the organisers working as one big community with great teamwork. The organising committee in Budapest is similarly well put together, so when we say we want to organise the best World Championships ever, we have the professional background to do it.
We are less than seven months from the event. How are the preparation for Budapest23 going?
I am pleased to announce that with less than 200 days to go, preparations are well underway on all fronts. Ticket sales started in mid-December and 100,000 tickets have already been sold. This is the quarter of the 420 000 tickets available for the nine evening and five morning programmes.
Tickets have already been bought from more than 70 countries; a big difference compared to the last World Championships. While the event in Oregon was mainly attended by spectators from the United States, we will be welcoming fans from all over Europe, as well as from further afield, such as the United States, where interest is particularly high. The best seats are selling out fast, so it's worth getting your tickets as soon as possible.
Our aim is to ensure that athletes, spectators and media representatives are catered for to the maximum. That is why it is also important that the recruitment of volunteers has started, with 3,500 people having signed up so far and the opportunity for everyone still open until 20 February. Their work will be just as important during the nine days of the World Champs as that of the members of the organising committee preparing the event.
What are the unique things about Budapest the world should know about?
Budapest is a centuries-old cosmopolitan city that everyone should visit! It has a rich history, culture, gastronomy and sport life, also its people are friendly and hospitable.
On the marathon and race walking routes, everyone can admire the historic centre of Budapest, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Budapest is a liveable, sporty city with endless possibilities. Everyone who comes to visit us between 19 and 27 August will experience this!
What can we expect at Budapest23 championships? Especially, in terms of organisation and facilities?
The track events will be held in a brand new stadium, the National Athletics Centre, where 35 000 people will be able to cheer on their favourite athletes and world records during the World Championships.
The facility is being built on the banks of the Danube on a previously contaminated and now completely regenerated site. After the World Championships, it will be open to everyone: there will be a green park with lots of trees, a running track on the upper level of the stadium and a pedestrian-cycle bridge linking Csepel, an outer district of the capital, with the city centre.
The completion of the National Athletics Centre will create the most modern athletics centre in the region, reviving the tradition of Hungarian athletics. Our athletes have collected a total of 174 Olympic, world and European medals over the past 125 years. Let's not forget that the outdoor world championship is the only missing element in the sport's rich history in Hungary, which includes 10 Olympic titles.
Your message to the world of Athletics?
Hungary is a peaceful, safe and welcoming country with sport at its heart. We have hosted every world athletics competition except the outdoor world championships, and many of you will remember the 1998 European Championships, where I also competed as a member of the 4x100 Hungarian relay. World competitions are a regular occurrence in our country, so a well-prepared organising team and a sporting nation will host the World Championships. Witness the wonder! - is the slogan of the event. I am sure that we will create something historic that will have a great impact on athletics and on Hungary.
Video gallery
Let's Talk to the IOC Presidential Candidates
Let's Talk to IOC Presidential Candidate Lord Sebastian Coe
