Budapest 2024 announced Thursday that twelve organizations have pledged their support for its Olympic bid, including the Hungarian operations of major global brands and regional leaders in telecommunications, finance, travel and transport, real estate and commodities.
The twelve sponsors all have strong ties with Hungary and Budapest, as well as the support of sport and Olympic values in the region. They include Audi, Budapest Airport, the Budapest Transport Company, the Centre for Budapest transport, Granit Polus, GRAPHISOFT, Mid Ocean Brands, Provident Financial, Telekom, Wizz Air and Zwack.
Chris Mattheisen, CEO of Magyar Telekom and Ambassador of Budapest 2024 said, “2024 will be the first Olympics where the Internet of Things will be widely spread. We already see a lot of mobile audiences and connectivity will be key to this young, dynamic audience in future major sport events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Budapest is already among the top global network providers and we use this to great effect at major sport events already being held in the city”.
Chairman of Budapest 2024, Balazs Furjes said that the team had been delighted by the enthusiasm of both national businesses and multinationals. “We have twelve fantastic major sponsors on board, all eager to show their support for Budapest. It’s been truly inspiring to see such faith in our city and in our capability as an Olympic sporting nation.”
“We expect that more sponsors will join the movement as the momentum continues to build.
“This is especially relevant after February next year when we will see a much wider exposure for the bid in both domestic and international markets. As an example, we have fifteen major sport events coming up in Hungary before the IOC vote next year, including the FINA World Championships, the World Judo Championships, Finn Gold Cup and the European Youth Olympic Festival next summer”, he said.
The latest opinion poll on Budapest’s 2024 bid shows that around two thirds of Hungarian citizens would be “proud” or “very proud” if Budapest were given the opportunity to host the Games. The percentage rises to over 70 in the 18-33 age range.
Budapest is competing with Los Angeles and Paris for the 2024 Games. A decision on the host city will be made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) next September.
