According to the organisers’ update on Thursday, based on the consolidated figures, the Budapest Athletics World Championships has reached and is expected to surpass the viewership statistics of the 2017 London Championships.
‘Budapest is not only in competition with London but, according to preliminary calculations, could set a record by exceeding a global audience of one billion viewers. This would be the highest viewership ever recorded in the history of outdoor world championships in athletics,’ the statement reads. In the United Kingdom, where athletics is particularly popular, data shows that more people are watching the Budapest Championships than they did the London event six years ago. Similar interest has been shown by Japan, Sweden, Germany, and France.
The website of the World Championships, hosted on the server of World Athletics (WA),
experienced several instances of overwhelming traffic due to the exceptionally high number of visitors
interested in the Budapest event. Fans managed to snatch up all the tickets until Wednesday evening. No tickets could be purchased for the evening competition programmes, either on the official online platform or at the National Athletics Centre ticket office. As a result, the organisers initiated a request with WA to open up a portion of the seats reserved for distinguished guests to the general public.
Amidst a festive atmosphere and the applause of thousands of fans, Bence Halász received his bronze medal on Monday. He had secured third place in the men’s hammer throw at the Budapest Athletics World Championships on Sunday evening.
On Monday, just before the evening session began, the three medallists were presented with their medals and bouquets at the Medal Plaza, located between the stadium and the main entrance. A novelty of this event is that the medal ceremonies are held consecutively in the park area next to the stadium before each evening session. This approach has proven successful, as seen on Monday, with competitors receiving ovations from the crowd as the athletes stand on the podium, making them feel almost like rock stars on stage.
The area between the podium and the elevated platform for photographers, situated about 20 metres away, was filled with spectators. Those who could not get there watched the ceremonies from the sides and cheered on the medal-winning athletes.
During the medal ceremony for the hammer throwers, Bence Halász received an even louder applause and celebration than the others. At the end of the ceremony, during a mini-interview conducted on the top of the podium, he once again expressed gratitude for the support of the Hungarian audience. He also indicated that he would now focus on next year’s major competitions, the European Championships and the Paris Olympics.
The organisers contributed significantly to maxing put the celebration of Bence Halász’s achievement by allowing those with expired tickets from Sunday’s session to enter the medal plaza area. Moreover, these ticket holders were given the opportunity to purchase tickets at a 50 per cent discount for the remaining seats in the upper section of the stands for the Monday evening’s session.
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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/MTI
