By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor
As his country prepares for the 2017 FINA World Championships—to be held from July 14 – 30 in Budapest—Swimming World spoke with Balazs Nemcsik, Managing Director of the Hungarian Water Polo Federation. FINA Worlds was to be yet another opportunity for Hungary to demonstrate its capacity to stage large-scale athletic events in advance of the International Olympic Committee’s September decision to award both the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games. Last February it pulled out of the running for the 2024 Games after an estimated 250,000 Hungarians signed a petition demanding that Budapest drop its bid.
Since 2012 Nemcsik has led of the Federation governing body for water polo in the Hungary. In that time he has overseen the staging of the 2014 European Water Polo Championships in Budapest, as well the 2016 and 2017 LEN Champions League Final Six water polo tournament. Prior to his work with Hungarian water polo, the 37 year-old Nemcsik was involved with European handball, first as communications manager for the European Handball Federation (2007-2010) and then as Secretary General of the Hungarian Handball Federation (2011-12).
Responding to an email inquiry, Nemcsik spoke about how his country came to host FINA Worlds, the effort to build the Dagály Swimming Complex, a much-admired new aquatics facility in the heart of Budapest which last May hosted 25,000 spectators for the 2017 Final Six tournament—won by Szolnok—and Hungarians’ commitment to water polo, which he described as “part of our cultural heritage.”
How did the 2017 FINA World Championships come to be held in Budapest?
Hungary has organized a number of top international sport events in the past years in sports highly popular domestically (water polo, handball, fencing, wrestling, judo, basketball, to name a few). Also, Budapest was bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games, which shows the dedication of Hungarian policy makers in this field. However, staging the FINA world championships is a major challenge: this competition is among the greatest and most demanding international events globally.
Hungary was successfully bidding for the 2021 FINA World Championships and when Mexico withdrew from organizing the 2017 event, a quick consensus was reached that Hungary was ready to step in and give a helping hand to the international aquatic sports at times of trouble.
2017 Final Six winners Szolnok of Hungary. Photo Courtesy: David Madar
How important is it for Hungary—arguably the world’s greatest water polo-playing nation—to host this tournament? Was it a coincidence that your country hosted both the Final 6 and the FINA Worlds in the same year?
Water polo events are highly popular in Hungary, this is a national pastime, part of our cultural heritage with household names and stories that every kid learns as they grow up. Actually organizing the Final Six events for two years (2016 and 2017) were made possible by state funding. The Hungarian Water Polo Federation was granted substantial amounts to host this for two reasons: first of all to promote the game within Hungary; second to test the new Duna Aréna that was scheduled to be opened by the end of 2016. It made sense to try the brand new infrastructure in front of big crowds before opening it for the swimming competitions of the FINA World Championships.
Besides great play for all participating nations—and the success of a young Hungarian team—what do you expect from FINA Worlds?
We had two clear objectives: we wanted to take good care of the six teams and make sure that all conditions would be there for them to perform at the highest possible level; also, we wanted to attract big crowds to show them water polo at its best. We managed to get 25,000 fans for the three days altogether with an absolute Hungarian record of 11,000 spectators for the final game. As the mobile stands of Duna Aréna will be removed after the world championships (with some 5,000 seats remaining in this wonderful arena), we will have to wait to see more people at a water polo game. We can say that this Champions League Final Six with a Hungarian team taking the trophy will have a page on its own in the history books of our sport.
Please confirm where the water polo championships will be held—is it in the Dagály Swimming Complex?
Water polo – according to the plans of the Organizing Committee – will be played in the Hajós Aquatic Complex, Margaret Island. This is where we had so many beautiful events in the past, we may call it a sanctuary of water polo sport globally with its unique atmosphere and history. Bringing the finals to Duna Aréna does not seem possible for calendar reasons.
Was the recent men’s Water Polo Final Six Champions’ League matches the very first international event at the Dagály Swimming Complex?
Yes and it was an honor for us to hold the premiere event; however, the atmosphere during the games and the quality of the teams proved that it was the best possible decision.