When Hungary stepped in to host the 2017 FINA World Championships at the last-minute due to Guadalajara, Mexico abruptly pulling out of hosting the event, costs for the international affair were estimated by then-President of Hungary’s Swimming Association Tamás Gyárfás to be up to 25 billion Hungarian forint, or about USD 87.3 million.
Now just 73 days out from the largest sporting event ever to be hosted in Hungary, the figures look a tad different, with total preparation and hosting costs now nearing the HUF 130.6 billion (USD 454 million) mark. (Budapest Beacon)
According to Napi.hu, Minister of National Development Miklós Seszták states that the actual cost of organizing the FINA world swimming championships is HUF 32.9 billion (USD 115 million). However, when additional fees, licenses and costs, including officials’ lodging, VIP guests, and doping testing among many others, are brought into the fold, the total expenditure figure moves more into the HUF 38.6 billion (USD 134.8 million) ballpark.
Seszták says HUF 92 billion (USD 321 million) is attributed to infrastructural work, such as reconstruction of the Pest-side river bank and Margit Island and renovations at the Dagály beach and those updates would have been undertaken regardless of hosting the swimming championships.
However, the single biggest expenditure centres on the Danube Arena, the newly built swimming center that cost Hungarian taxpayers a sum in the range of HUF 41.6 billion (USD 145 million).
I don’t know if opting out of vying to host the Olympics was good or bad. On one hand, they could have used some of the same facilities, reducing the expenses while still gaining the tourist population boost you get from Olympic Games spectators. On the other hand, to accommodate the new population they would have had to spend more.
This is why USA swimming doesn’t bid for Worlds, etc. It is a huge losing proposition!
Same as before The Rio Olympic games (Brazil being part of the BRICK),start the bashing of Hungary be the Western media , because of the organized immigration issue that they do not want to give in.
Some of it will of course be recouped on the backs of us masters competitors in the weeks following, if past experience means anything. Still excited for the meet, but hoping it’s better organised than the European Masters in London last year that was a money grab and pure shambles.
you can still buy a prelim ticket for $1.75….it looks to me like the host is going to lose some serious money on this gig
Would be interesting to see the details on the “VIP guests” expenses and spending allowances.