Yesterday, I wrote an article about the upcoming World Athletics Championships. The event is arranged in Budapest between August 19 and August 27 in 2023, and according to the website, it is the biggest event ever arranged in Budapest. That sounds quite extreme to me, but it is quite possible that it is true.
Earlier, Budapest has arranged the Aquatics World Championship, but that is a much smaller event. You also have giant festivals such as the Sziget festival (attracting approximately 500,000 people every year). But, it cannot compare to the World Athletics Championships, especially not when it comes to the budget. Since the Hungarian Prime Minister is a sports fanatic, he has been subsidizing and supporting all sorts of sports events in Budapest. That is why Hungary has applied to host all sorts of competitions, and they have also arranged the World Championships in handball, and Hungary even applied for the Summer Olympics. The fact that Hungary has constructed lots of new football stadiums also comes as a result of the love the Hungarian Prime Minister has for sports.
A brand new stadium is built for the event, the National Athletics Centre. It isn't 100% finished yet, but it will be ready in time for the event. Once it is finished, some changes will be made to the venue which will result in smaller capacity, but more space for other activities. The area will also serve as a place for exercising with running tracks and more.
During the World Athletics Championships in Budapest there will be space for 35,000 spectators in the stadium.
All events will be arranged at the stadium, with the Race Walking and the Marathons being the exceptions. Those will be arranged in the streets of Budapest, meaning that people can cheer and watch the action for free. Do not forget, however, that these events are arranged at 7.00 in the morning, meaning that you need to wake up early if you want to watch them and enjoy them.
If you'd rather run a marathon yourself (instead of watching), there are several marathons arranged in Budapest every year. You can read more about all sorts of sports events in the Hungarian capital here.