Pal Schmitt, former President of Hungary and an Olympic champion and NOC member has been appointed to Chair the Budapest 2024 Olympic bid committee.
Budapest formally established the city”s Olympic and Paralympic bid committee at a meeting January 14 in the Hungarian Parliament.
The committee will also be known as “The Guardians of the Olympic Bid” and will be responsible for giving strategic direction, monitoring and reviewing progress, and promoting the Budapest Olympic and Paralympic Games bid inside and outside Hungary.
The committee was appointed by Laszlo Kover, Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, following consultations with the Mayor of Budapest and the President of the Hungarian NOC.
It will be chaired Schmitt and other members include Presidents of the Hungarian National Olympic Committee, Hungarian Canoe and Swimming Federations and Judit Polgar, world-renowned Chess Master, as well as Pal Szekeres, Olympic and Paralympic Fencing medalist. Balazs Furjes also joins the committee as Chairman of the Budapest 2024 bid. A full list can be found below.
Schmitt said, “I am delighted that we have today launched the Budapest 2024 bid committee. This marks a decisive step in Hungary’s bid to stage the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As ‘Guardians of the Bid’ it is our role to ensure that Budapest 2024 truly reflects our collective commitment to the values of Olympism”.
Furjes said, “the breadth of talent on the committee is a true reflection of the support that we enjoy across the spectrum in Hungary and will be a great resource for us as we move forward into the bid process”.
Budapest is competing with Rome, Paris and Los Angeles to host the 2024 Olympic Games.
| Pál Schmitt, President | Olympic champion, Hungarian member of the IOC |
| Tamás Aján | Honorary member of the IOC, President of the International Weightlifting Federation |
| István Tarlós | Mayor of Budapest |
| Zsolt Borkai | Olympic Champion, President of the Hungarian NOC |
| László Szabó | President of the Hungarian Paralympic Committee |
| Tamás Gyárfás | Vice President of FINA, President of the Hungarian Swimming Federation |
| István Kovács Koko | Olympic and world champion boxer |
| Judit Polgár | Chess Grandmaster (strongest female chess player of history) |
| Pál Szekeres | Olympic and Paralympic medal winner fencer |
| Etele Baráth | President of the Hungarian Canoe Federation, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee |
| Dénes Kemény | President of the Hungarian Water Polo Federation |
| József Váradi | CEO of Wizz Air |
| Slomó Köves | Executive Rabbi of EMIH Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation |
| László Kiss-Rigó | Roman Catholic Bishop |
| Gusztáv Bienerth | Chairman at Roland Berger Hungary, former CEO of PwC Hungary |
| János Martonyi | Former Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Krisztina András | Associate Professor at Corvinus University of Budapest, Director of Sport Business Research Centre |
| Károly Gerendai | CEO at Sziget Cultural Management Ltd., Founder of Sziget Festival |
| Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy | Economist, global securities services expert, former President of the Budapest Stock Exchange, President of the Budapest Olympic Movement |
| Balázs Szeneczey | Vice Mayor of Budapest |
| László Kövér | Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly |
| Balázs Fürjes | Chairman, Budapest 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games Bid Committee |
| György Szilágyi | Member of the Hungarian Parliament |
