Countdown

08 February 2010

212 days left until the WSC Budapest Grand Final....

The Budapest Local Organizing Committee (LOC) is working as hard as possible to meet the deadlines and make everything ready for the start of the event in September. To inform our readers about the LOC’s efforts, we will provide regular updates and interview the organizers about the preparations.

„We started with the selection of the venues and the detailed design of the courses last autumn after which all the plans were submitted to the municipal officials of the city of Budapest. Finding the locations was not an easy task as we had to consider a lot of regulations. For example, it took a long time to figure out whether the location of the second transition and the finish area (Roosevelt square) meets the requirements. It was a big achievement when the location was officially accepted. Swimming will be held at the Danube bay called Kopaszi-dam (Kopaszi gát) which is a beautiful park area that offers a great environment for both competitors and supporters. Having two different locations needs more effort on the LOC’s part but we are doing our best to manage it. We hope that the weather will help us and it will be less wet in the spring and summer than during January and February.” – said Balázs Pál, Race Director of the LOC.

„The ITU World Championship Grand Final is going to be the biggest international sport event of the year in Budapest. With its 5000 competitors and additional 5-8000 spectators and visitors, it has an important role in the tourism industry as well. The Hungarian Tourism Board (Magyar Turizmus Zrt.) has supported the Hungarian Triathlon Union (MTSZ) in the past and it will continue this year. Negotiations are ongoing with other potential sponsors and we hope to find partners interested in a partnership not only for the Grand Final but also longer term with our federation. The main event of the year is of course the Grand Final in September, however, a number of pre races and programs will start in May to make triathlon more popular in Hungary. We would like to give plenty of oppurtunites to amateurs to get ready to participate in the competition. As many may not know, triathlon is one of the few sports where amateurs (age group athletes) and the elite compete together.” – informed us Petra Schmitt, Marketing Director of the LOC.