Tarlós said that had a referendum been called on Budapest hosting the 2024 Olympics before the city had submitted its application to the Olympic Committee, he probably would have supported it.

Tarlós commented in 2014 that while he supports Hungarian sports, he considered Hungary hosting the games “unrealistic.”

He changed his position after Hungary had officially applied to host the games, and considered the anti-Olympics movement that resulted in the collection of over 266,000 signatures to host a referendum on the issue to be untimely.

Mayor Tarlós said some of the infrastructural developments planned in the city directly related to Olympic events would not go forward, but other plans that would be used for purposes other than Olympics have a “good chance” of being realized.

When asked whether the withdrawal of the city’s Olympic bid would slow down development in the city, Tarlós said it is a question of state funding, so it’s “difficult to say.”

Source: The Budapest Beacon

Republished with permission