IOC President visits FINA World Aquatics C'ships in Budapest
Jun 21, 2022
Budapest [Hungary], June 21 : Attending the opening of the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest last weekend, IOC President Thomas Bach addressed the Extraordinary FINA Congress.
Congratulating FINA on its latest reforms with regard to athlete representation, the independence of its doping programme, gender equality and good governance, the IOC President emphasised the continuous need to adapt.
The Championships in Budapest were opened on Saturday night by the recently elected Hungarian President, Katalin Novak, who welcomed President Bach to the Presidential Palace before the opening ceremony. The two discussed a range of topics, including the development of sport in schools and at elite level in Hungary.
The IOC President was accompanied by the IOC Members in Hungary, Pal Schmitt and Daniel Gyurta, as well as the President of the National Olympic Committee of Hungary, Zsolt Gyulay.
The IOC President invited FINA to join the Sports for Climate Action Framework, in which 300 sports organisations are already participating. The initiative was launched by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in partnership with the IOC.
It aims to set the course for the sports world to address climate change through concrete commitments and partnerships, while applying verified standards to measure, reduce and report greenhouse gas emissions - in line with the Paris Agreement.
President Bach also met with Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, during his three-day stay in Budapest. The IOC President congratulated the Prime Minister on the excellent development of sport in Hungary.
The country has been and will be host to many international championships recently and in the years to come. The two leaders also discussed the geopolitical situation.
Meeting the organisers and watching the competitions, the IOC President congratulated the Organising Committee on their remarkable work. It was only in February that they took on the organisation of these Championships. Building on the experience of 2017, when Budapest also organised the FINA World Aquatics Championships, the Hungarian organisers put the event together on very short notice.
A number of IOC Members were also present in Budapest during the first weekend of the Championships, including IOC Vice-President Ser Miang Ng, Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, Morinari Watanabe, Spyros Capralos, Mustapha Berraf and Sebastian Coe.
