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Adam Schmidt At the press conference held on Tuesday, the Minister of State responsible for Sports emphasized that the creators did their best to put such beautiful medals around the necks of the World Cup superheroes that will forever remind them of the competition in Budapest.
He added: The central figure on one side of the medals is the World Cup emblem, and one of Budapest’s most famous landmarks is the Statue of Liberty located on Gellert Hill, which with a palm branch in its hand is considered a symbol of the will to fight, glory and victory. In the foreground of the back of the medals, you can see the new National Athletics Center, reminiscent of the crown of the Queen of Sports, and in the background is the competition track, where the athletics superheroes will fight for victory.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs – who is also the Government’s Commissioner for World Cup Affairs – drew attention to the fact that the World Championships in Budapest will also be special because the event offers the fans – who, in addition to being able to admire the world’s best athletes and support the Hungarian competitors – have additional entertainment opportunities: concerts. Various entertainment programs complete the experience.
Balazs NemethThe general director of the non-profit organization Budapest 2023, Zrt, stressed that they avoid simple solutions and instead seek to provide as many experiences as possible for those interested in visiting the World Cup. He noted that the medal ceremony will be moved from the usual location outside the stadium, to the Medal Square, which is essentially a concert stage, and thanks to this, fans will be able to celebrate their favorites much closer and longer than the award ceremony. Real festival atmosphere.
Dancer Renata Budur Jo at the medal ceremony of the IAAF World Championships in Budapest at the National Sports Center on August 8, 2023. (MTI/Zsolt Szigetváry)
Image: MTI
The Director General emphasized: As in the 2017 World Cup in London, not only the competitors will receive medals this time, but also their coaches, but for the first time these medals will be exactly the same as those obtained by the athletes on the podium. He said it took 3,000 man-hours to manufacture the medals, from design to sewing the ribbon, using a total of 140 kilograms of precious metals and 450 meters of ribbon. The material of the necklace is a copper alloy, which has been plated with gold, silver and bronze, and the creators polished it dust-free with nearly a kilogram of diamond paste. The medals are oval in shape, the longest is 10.5 cm, the shortest is 9.2 cm, and the thickness is 5 mm. The contestant’s name and the poem number will be engraved on each of them.
Balazs Nemeth revealed that the medal box made of hard paper also had a special character, as materials left over from the competition track at the National Sports Center were used for the lining. He noted that bands such as Margaret Island, Parno Grast and Hoseok perform concerts at Medal Plaza during the World Cup.
The World Cup will be held from August 19 to 27 at the National Sports Center, and Hősök tere will host street running and walking competitions.
If you’re not watching the IAAF World Championships in Budapest from the venue, but are curious about what’s really going on, or simply don’t have a minute, stick with Eurosport from August 19 to 27! Zita Ajkler, Gabor Szabo and Gergely Nemeth will report from the scene, and on Eurosport.hu you can watch the final of any skill number from start to finish. Every second of the IAAF World Cup can be watched on Eurosport platforms, so you won’t miss a thing with us!
