The congress of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) approved the unanimous decision of the presidency to relocate the organisation’s headquarters, currently located in Lausanne, Switzerland, to Budapest, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on Tuesday in Fukuoka, Japan.
After the parties signed the agreement on the relocation, FINA President Husain Al-Musallam
presented Péter Szijjártó with an award in recognition of his work in the interest of aquatic sports.
The minister welcomed the decision of FINA’s relocation to Budapest at the congress and reported that Hungary already hosts two international sports federations, as well as ten international organisations, eight of which are affiliated with the UN. He emphasised that the government is prepared to provide the venue to FINA free of charge for fifteen years, in addition to offering tax incentives and exemptions to the organisation, and it is ready to start negotiations on the necessary infrastructure investments.
In his speech at the congress, the minister referred to the ‘undeniable fact’ that the world is going through ‘crazy times’ today, with huge changes happening in people’s everyday lives. The global order has been completely turned upside down twice recently, signalling the birth of a new era. He cited the 20th World Aquatics Championships as an example, which should have been held in 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan eventually postponed it, resulting in an extraordinary world championship in 2022, hosted by Budapest.
Back in 2015, the organisation had asked Hungary to provide a venue for the swimming world championship in 2017 after Mexico’s withdrawal, and Hungary accepted the invitation and completed all the necessary preparations in two years, the minister recalled. ‘The essence is that we are finally here, we survived the crisis, and we are ready to face another one,’ he said. Péter Szijjártó expressed his pride that after hosting the championships in 2017 and 2022, Hungary will also host the water sports world championship in 2027, achieving a ‘hat-trick’ within ten years.
He also pointed out that Hungary plays a significant role in the world of swimming, as one of the eight founding members of the International Swimming Federation in 1908, with thirty-seven Olympic gold medals in swimming and nine in water polo.
Today, Hungary ranks seventh in the overall medal table of world championships,
with Hungarian athletes having won more than a hundred medals,
while in terms of population, the country is only 95th globally. This success story continues, as two more medals have been won in the current competitions. He also highlighted that a new record will be set this year, as Zsuzsanna Jakabos will participate in her ninth world championship, which is unprecedented among Hungarian swimmers.
‘Without exaggeration, it can be said that we, Hungarians, are a nation of swimmers, a nation of water sports, and the same is true for water polo,’ he said, recalling the ‘most emotional’ water polo match of all time, the final of the 1956 Olympic tournament between Hungary and the Soviet Union.
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Source: Hungarian Conservative/MTI
