Gabor Demeszky, Mayor of Budapest, said Thursday he supported the grassroots initiative that the city should organize the Summer Olympic Games in 2020, reports the Budapest Business Journal.
A group of Hungarian sports figures, businessmen and media personalities launched a campaign last month to gather support for a Budapest bid in 2016 or 2020. The group, called the Budapest Olympic Movement (BOM), said it was crucial for the country’s future that Budapest hosts the Olympics.
The Mayor met with two members of the group and noted that the city had backed the government’s idea to bid for the 2012 Games but at that time there was little hope of raising enough money and developing an appropriate infrastructure for the project.
But this time the Mayor sees a good chance of creating satisfactory conditions for the Games.
The BOM have said they will provide financial and moral support for the initiative.
Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, president of the Budapest Stock Exchange and head of BOM said, “a lot of workplaces would be created in connection to the Olympics – 500 km of motorways and roads, 25 km of underground and suburban rail lines, and three bridges would be built. These should be built anyway, as soon as possible”.
