According to FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu, the 17th FINA World Championships in Hungary are expected to be one of the best in the history of the competition.
The Director and the members of the different Technical Committees evaluated the preparations of the upcoming World Championships in joint meetings and site visits with the Budapest 2017 Organising Committee.
The outstanding support from the Hungarian Government combined to the organisers’ hard work and the beautiful venues are all guarantees for success.
“The budget for the World Championships is always discussed and studied in depth. That is why following each FINA World Championships, we ask an independent company to make a study about the economic impacts.”
“Studies have shown in the past that double or triple amounts of the investment were realised in Barcelona (2013) and in Kazan (2015). And here is the Danube Arena. All Hungarian people will enjoy the advantages of this amazing complex. A project like this is really important in order to improve the general health and fitness of society,” said Marculescu.
FINA members looked at the preparations of each aquatic discipline respectively.
The FINA Technical Committee for Diving was the first to pay a visit to Budapest. Kathy Seaman, the Committee Chairwoman evaluated the Danube Arena, where the diving events will be held this July:
“I am amazed by the arena, the venue is fantastic. I see that everybody is working hard and the preparations make good progress.”
High Diving, the youngest discipline contested at the FINA World Championships, will be hosted at the Batthyányi Square embankment, facing the Parliament.
The next FINA delegation visited the City Park which will be home for the Synchronised Swimming competitions. Igor Kartashov, the Vice-Chairman of the Technical Synchronised Swimming Committee shared his opinion about the venue:
“The views and the beauty of the site impressed me very much,” he said.
The Chairman of the Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, Ronnie Wong said Balatonfüred was a special and experienced host of the discipline.
“The organisation is always professional as I have experienced again during my visit here.”
The FINA Technical Water Polo Committee Chairman, Gianni Lonzi, returned to the Hungarian Water Polo Federation headquarters to meet the organisers as if he was going home. The reconstruction of the legendary Alfred Hajós National Swimming Complex is in full swing. The iconic water polo venue, the offices, the pavements and roads are being refurbished; and new parking lots are being built for the FINA World Championships, the community spaces are getting a fresh cut - the greatest sport event ever hosted by Hungary will leave a significant legacy at the heart of Budapest too.
On the final day of the week-long site visit the FINA Technical Swimming Committee inspected the brand new Danube Arena and held fruitful meetings with the organisers. The Arena impressed the visitors once again so much that Cornel Marculescu mentioned that it must be presented on the list of the world’s best pools.
The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee have also been amazed by the complex earlier this year.
The Danube Arena serves not only as the signature venue for the 17th FINA World Championships but will be hosting many more exciting events in the future too.