No time to waste. Almost ten years before the event, the IOC has already revealed the casting of the coordination commission for the Brisbane 2032 Games. Chaired by former swimmer Kirsty Coventry, it is made up of 15 members.
Among them, Balázs Fürjes (photo above). Discovered during the campaign for the Summer Games in 2024, where he led the Budapest bid, the Hungarian occupies the post of Minister of State for Budapest and its metropolis, while ensuring co-president of the organizing committee of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the Hungarian capital. He answered questions from FrancsJeux.
FrancsJeux : With ten years to go, what do you expect from the Brisbane 2032 Games?
Balazs Furjes : The awarding of the 2032 Games so early, more than ten years, offers Australians a unique opportunity. They have a very comfortable time for their preparation. After the success of the Melbourne Games in 1956, then Sydney in 2000, I expect very secure Summer Games, at all levels, but also popular and friendly. The Australians will offer us, I am convinced, a unique blend of passion and innovation, with a very compact device. They learned a lot from the 2018 Youth Games in Buenos Aires, about how to engage the population and the public. They will also be able to immerse themselves in the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Games. Brisbane 2032 should bring a lot to the Olympic movement.
All the Olympic Games are faced, at one time or another, with a challenge to overcome. What challenge awaits Brisbane 2032?
Brisbane is a medium-sized metropolis. It has almost the same dimensions as Budapest. The question of transport could arise, but with ten years ahead of them, the Australians have plenty of time to resolve it. Accommodation could also be a challenge, but Queensland will have enough rooms for everyone. The budget is always a risk, with the Olympics, but the region and the country have a stable economy. Ultimately, the challenge for the Australians perhaps lies in these ten years before the event. Ten years is a long and uncertain time. A lot can happen.
Belonging to the Brisbane 2032 Games Coordination Commission will give you an opportunity to get an inside look at the preparation for the Games. Are you going to take advantage of it in the perspective of an Olympic candidacy from Budapest?
Above all, I will try to do my job as best as possible, in order to meet the expectations of the IOC and justify Thomas Bach's choice to join this commission. I want to bring my experience of sporting events, of preparing for a major sporting event and of the integration of sport in a large city.
Has Budapest abandoned its Olympic ambition?
No. We have not abandoned this ambition. Bringing the Games to Hungary is one of the missions of the Hungarian National Olympic Committee. It is even written in full in its statutes. But an Olympic candidacy from Budapest is not on the agenda. We are not currently discussing this. We will have time to do it, the next opportunity not being before 2036. Today, the subject is not on the table. And that is very good, because the context and the situation do not lend themselves to it.
In your capacity as former head of the Budapest 2024 bid, what is your view on the preparation for the Paris 2024 Games?
I take my hat off to Tony Estanguet and the organizing committee. A lot has changed since the application phase, on an economic level, but also geo-politically. Preparing for the Games is proving more complicated than expected for the OCOG. But they were able to adapt and make changes. However, as we know, changes are often sources of conflict. So far, the organizing committee has been able to manage conflicts. I have no doubt about Tony Estanguet's ability to continue to do so, and to stay on track, throughout the 600 and a few days before the Games.
Inflation is hitting most of the major upcoming sporting events hard, including the Paris 2024 Games. Does this situation affect the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest?
Of course. The increase in costs will particularly affect energy costs. But we are fortunate to be able to count on a solid partnership. The event is not threatened. The construction of the stadium is in the final stages, it will be delivered next March. This stadium is a legacy of Budapest's candidacy for the Summer Games in 2024. But today, with less than a year to go, we are mainly focused on our objective of filling the stadium from the first to the last day of the Worlds. We can count on a large community of athletics enthusiasts in Hungary. And Budapest is ideally located in Europe to attract fans from neighboring countries, from Poland to Germany.
