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Olympic team returns home bringing medals as well as momentum to Hungary's bid for Budapest 2024

Hungary's Olympic athletes return home with pride after winning eight gold medals at Rio 2016

Hungary’s Olympic team returned to Budapest yesterday to crowds of people welcoming them home.

The athletes received a heartfelt thanks from fans for securing Hungary eight gold medals and finishing 12th on the overall medal table.

The Olympic committee and those behind the city’s bid to host the 2024 Games hope the team's Rio success can boost its chances of winning.

Other positive factors have been highlighted, including the fact that Central Europe has never held the Olympics, and that the IOC is looking for a sustainable, relatively inexpensive venue.

“Part of the debate can be what it means in terms of development or what the rate of costs to income would look like, but I am sure that an event like this would definitely strengthen our national pride, unity and bring people together,” Zsolt Borkai, president of the Hungarian Olympic Committee told Euronews today.

The other potential rivals to Budapest for the 2024 Olympics are Los Angeles, Rome and Paris.

“The sports hall where the Olympic Champions were welcomed home with celebrations could be a venue of the Olympic Games one day. The decision won't be known for sure until it’s taken by the International Olympic Committee in September 2017, just over one year from now,” Borkai added.