IOC President attends World Athletics Championships in Budapest
IOC President Thomas Bach was in Budapest this weekend for the World Athletics Championships. He was welcomed to the Hungarian capital by the President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), Zsolt Gyulay, and by IOC Athletes’ Commission member Dániel Gyurta.
Later, President Bach was a guest of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán. During their three-hour meeting, the two leaders discussed Hungary's contribution to world sport, the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the current geopolitical situation. President Bach was accompanied by IOC Honorary Member and former Hungarian President Pál Schmitt.
In the evening, President Bach joined World Athletics President and IOC Member Sebastian Coe at the newly built National Athletics Centre for the evening session at the Championships.
The following day, President Bach attended the finish of the men's marathon in Heroes' Square, where Victor Kiplangat from Ugandatook the world title after a race through the streets of the Hungarian capital.
Later, President Bach addressed the newly elected World Athletics Council. He spoke about gender equality, sustainability, and the challenges and opportunities related to digital development, particularly artificial intelligence, as well as the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024.
During the weekend, President Bach met a number of IOC Members: Vice-President Juan Antonio Samaranch; Executive Board member Nawal El Moutawakel; the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), Mustapha Berraf; IOC Member and President of the Union Cycliste Internationale and the French NOC, David Lappartient; IOC Member in Spain and President of World Triathlon Marisol Casado; IOC Member in Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic; IOC Member and President of the Senegalese NOC Mamadou Ndiaye; IOC Member in France Guy Drut; and IOC Member in China Hong Zhang. He also met IOC Members Maria Colón, Bernard Rajzman and Danka Bartekova.
During the weekend in Budapest, President Bach also met the President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), Francesco Ricci Bitti, and IOC Honorary Member Sam Ramsamy.