The biggest sporting event in the history of Hungary with 2,000 athletes from over 200 countries, the 19th World Athletics Championships was hosted in Budapest from 19 to 27 August 2023.
As for the slogan of the Championships, “Witness the Wonder”, people from all over the world who followed or attended the games undoubtedly witnessed the wonder.
The biggest sporting event in the history of Hungary, the 19th World Athletics Championships was hosted in Budapest from 19 to 27 August 2023. More than 2,000 athletes from over 200 countries came to Hungary to take part in the world’s third biggest sporting event. The World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 was the first World Athletics Championship to follow the objectives of the World Athletics Sustainability Strategy 2020 and the guidelines of the Athletics for a Better World Program.
The event attracted over 400,000 fans from 120 countries, marking it as Hungary’s most visited sporting event and demonstrating Hungary’s capability to host a world-class event with cutting-edge technology and infrastructure. The National Athletics Centre (NAC), designed specifically for the event, is the largest competition and training centre in Central Europe, accommodating 35,000 spectators. A great deal of creativity was required on the part of the organisers to accommodate and transport the large number of athletes and staff arriving in the country. Moreover, cooperation with high-security delegations (diplomats and sports federations) also required increased organisation and attention.
The World Championships’ second day fell on the Hungarian national holiday of August 20th that made the Championships more unique and also challenging for the organisers in terms of coordinating the events.
