Hungary’s supreme court, the Curia, ruled Thursday to allow a referendum in Budapest to measure public interest in a bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The judgement overrules a previous decision by the Budapest Election Committee which rejected a request for a public vote.
Discussions have been held between the city and the government about the possibility of bidding for the next available 2036 Games and Mayor Gergely Karacsony reportedly met to discuss plans with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach during the Paris edition held this past summer. According to the IOC, Budapest would be among at least 10 regions interested in hosting a future Games. Hungary is also open to hosting subsequent Summer Games in 2040 or 2044.
The original rejected referendum request had been appealed by the opposition liberal Momentum party after the same group submitted the question in September. Momentum, which originally formed in 2017 to dispute a 2024 Olympic bid by the Hungarian Capital, has now grown as a political force in the nation winning seats in the National Assembly and European Parliament. Leaders believe the Olympics are too ambitious and risky for the city and a municipal election should be required before any plans move forward.
Recent polls suggest Budapest residents oppose a bid due to the perceived costs.
If a referendum is to move forward, the Curia has certified the question that voters will be asked.
Do you agree that the Municipality of Budapest should submit a bid for the organization of the 2036 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games?
There is no guarantee that the emerging bid will survive until a referendum. In 2017, Momentum gathered enough signatures on a petition to force a public vote and that was enough for government stakeholders to drop plans rather than to extend political capital and risk the likely referendum loss. After Budapest bowed out of the race, the IOC and the remaining two candidates signed a tripartite agreement leading to the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
In September Momentum leader Márton Tompos said on social media “We would like to put an end to the issue of organizing the Olympics once and for all. We want, if this country wants to submit any Olympic bid, a referendum should be held first. It’s a decision at a level that we have to make together.”
He added “as long as there is not an adequate number of doctors and teachers in the country, there is not adequate drinking water everywhere … it is completely wrong to dream of hosting the Olympics.”
On Thursday the Momentum Party Facebook page posted (translation) “The Hungarian economy performs the poorest in the European Union. And they want to host the Olympics. No to Olympics, yes to our future!”
The party also updated the page banner with a NOlimpia 2.0 logo, an allusion to the original 2017 movement that began as the NOlimpia anti-Olympics campaign then evolved into today’s Momentum Party.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been a long-time supporter of a Hungarian Olympic bid in his quest to elevate his nation’s prominence on the world stage. Hungarian athletes are the most decorated for a country that has never staged the Games. Budapest entered the running for the 2032 Games before the IOC’s new bidding process resulted in an unexpected and early awarding of the Games to Brisbane in Australia.
Politicians in Hungary announced support for a 2036 bid in August with municipal and national leaders backing plans. But the Mayor said a bid can only move forward if Orban increases funding to the Capital that has been withheld since his opposition party took over city council.
For 2036 Hungary could be facing off against bids from Istanbul in Türkiye, India, Indonesia, Santiago in Chile, South Korea, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Egypt and South Africa are positioning for either 2036 or 2040 in their attempts to be the first-ever African hosts. Germany, UK and Poland have expressed interest in bidding for the 2040 Games. Other nations could also be in the mix but the IOC, as a policy, does not publish the names of bidders for future events.
There is no set deadline for the awarding of the Games, but one or more qualified candidates could be selected as early as next year.
