Hungary Weighs Bid for 2024 Olympics

(ATR) Around the Rings understands that Hungarian Olympic Committee leaders will hold key talks on a possible 2024 Olympic bid in the next few weeks.

NOC president Zsolt Borkai said on Thursday that his committee was backing a bid for the Summer Olympics.

"There's plenty of work to do ... but the intention is clear. Budapest would like to host the world's best athletes," he is quoted on the NOC’s website.

Borkai may seek the feedback from European Olympic Committees colleagues about a bid during his stay in Romanian capital Bucharest. He will join other NOC leaders in celebrating the Romanian NOC’s 100th anniversary on Friday.

Initial discussions about a 2024 bid have already taken place between Hungary’s Olympic chiefs and government officials.Hungarian IOC member Pal Schmitt is said to have expressed support for a bid.

Borkai will be involved in "crucial" meetings about a potential bid the 2024 Games in the coming weeks.

The Budapest City Council would be a key partner in any bid. So far, the city has yet to announce whether it will back a 2024 bid. Some developments are expected by mid-October.

A spokesman for the Hungarian Olympic Committee told ATR that the European Youth Olympic Festival in Györ in 2017 and the 2021 swimming world championships were important milestones to any bid. They would show off Hungary’s sports event capabilities and show that the country may be preparing "to make something big."

Among the cities interested in bidding for the 2024 Games are Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, Rome and Istanbul. A bid from a U.S. city is also possible.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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