Budapest has been announced as 2019’s European Capital of Sport.
Tünde Szabó, minister of State for Sport, said the news is a fantastic acknowledgement for both the capital and Hungarian sport.
“We can be proud of this title, our athletes and professionals, and of Budapest, because the title is a clear acknowledgement of the fact that we can be a worthy host of large-scale sports events, and that we also play an important role in international sports life within the field of recreational and youth sports," the minister of state said.
She pointed out that while Hungary hosted only six state-sponsored international sports events in 2006, this number rose to 34 in 2010 and increased to 113 last year.
“An increase of this size requires suitable sports infrastructure, high quality tourism services and a stable country with a strong economy," she added. “I am happy to say that our capital now fulfils all of these requirement."