The Government is Dedicated to Supporting Sports

He underlined that the goal of the Sporting Nation Program is that besides elite athletes, a wide range of people start using the infrastructural elements built in the past years because it is important to do physical exercise as it is also exercise for the soul.

The minister emphasized that sport might be more important than anything in these confusing and complicated times that we are living in today. “Sport is much needed because it shows the way; the joy of competition, achievement and cheering keep us on the right track that we need” – he said.

According to Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Hungary is not rich in minerals and energy resources, but all the more so in talents, which can be seen in the fields of culture, sciences and sports as well. He added that events of the past years, such as the 2023 World Athletics Championships, have demonstrated to the world of sports and international associations that Hungary can successfully organize large, global sports events. Therefore, it can show the foreigners not only its sports successes but also its good organizing skills and beautiful capital.

He stated that good sports diplomacy is indispensable for this. That is why he is glad that the sports diplomacy conference is being held already for the third time upon the idea of State Secretary Ádám Schmidt. He recalled that timing is also important because this summer, the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games will be held in Paris; and on these occasions, sports – the best means of expressing national feelings in modern times – receive plenty of attention.

Dr. Ádám Schmidt, Secretary of State for Sports of the Ministry of Defence, underlined that as the most important global sports events of the year will be the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, it is not by chance that this was the main topic of the conference on Monday. He called attention to the fact that in the second half of the year, Hungary will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, and sports will be among the main fields of interest of the Hungarian presidency. He indicated that they would like to be successful in topics such as the heritage of large sports events, the fight against doping and health-promoting physical exercise. During this period, Hungary will receive the sports directors of the EU and the world on several high-ranking events, where consistency in the actions of Hungarian sports diplomacy will also play a significant role – he added.