The recognition and trust goes to Hungary, Hungarian sports, and the Hungarian Olympic movement, that’s obvious. My job is still to humbly serve the Olympic movement and Hungarian sports, as one team member among many. Thank you for the united support of the entire Hungarian Olympic family, the Hungarian Olympic Committee (MOB), President Zsolt Gyulay, our former and current IOC members Pál Schmitt and Dániel Gyurta, as well as our other champions
said the 51-year-old Fürjes after the vote
became a permanent member of the IOC with an overwhelming majority, more than ninety percent of the votes.
He added: “I really count on Pál Schmitt’s advice in the future – he spent four decades in the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he has everything in his little finger, he knows everyone, he knows everything, he has great authority among the membership.”
“I am very happy and congratulate Balázs from the bottom of my heart, this also shows that we chose a good candidate in the spring,” said MOB president Zsolt Gyulay. The sports leader highlighted: “206 national Olympic committees are members of the Olympic movement, yet only a third of them, seventy-five, have IOC members, while strong and emerging nations are lining up to get their chosen one trusted.”
Balázs Fürjes reached the goal in half a year, this is a rare quick success. His experiences in business management, organizing major international sports events, diplomacy, urban development, politics, and as a sports leader are extremely useful for both Hungarian sport and the international Olympic movement, and I am personally looking forward to working together.
– summed up Zsolt Gyulay, who says that Fürjes is “a really suitable IOC member for Hungary, who is a determined and hard-working team player”, and with whom he has an excellent personal relationship.
Photo: Zoltán Máthé / Source: MTI
“I was happy to support your application, and in the coming years I will be happy to help you with your work if you need it,” said former MOB president Pál Schmitt, who was also elected as an IOC member in 1983 at a general assembly held in New Delhi, India.
Dániel Gyurta – who is an IOC member as a member of the IOC Athletes Committee – put it this way:
it is a pleasure that Hungarian sports diplomacy has developed a lot in recent years, and Hungarian athletes and diplomats represent the athletes of the world in more and more organizations.
Among the newly elected members, Fürjes is the youngest, and also younger than the average age of the entire membership. In the voting, all eight candidates received the necessary majority for IOC membership, so as a permanent member elected in his own right, he will certainly remain a member of the IOC until the age of 70, and his mandate can be extended several times by decision of the IOC General Assembly. Most recently, he was the co-chairman of the organizing committee of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August and is currently a member of the IOC committee preparing the 2032 pentathlon games in Brisbane.
His election ensured continuous Hungarian representation in the world’s most prestigious international sports organization.
Sebastian Coe: Balázs Fürjes will be a serious asset for the Olympic movement
The sports leader – whose statement was quoted in the announcement of the Hungarian Olympic Committee – said that he has been watching Balázs Fürjes’ passion for sports and the Olympic movement since he led the 2024 Budapest Olympic bid.
Although the application was withdrawn, his commitment and enthusiasm remained, and throughout, he helped with a sure hand, among other things, the preparation and realization of this year’s extremely successful World Athletics Championships in Budapest. In his new role, also as an IOC member, he will be of great value to the Olympic movement, I look forward to continuing our joint work
– declared the president of the International Athletics Federation.
Photo: Zoltán Balogh / Source: MTI
Ukrainian IOC member Szerhij Bubka, Olympic champion pole vaulter, highlighted that Fürjes’ “experience in urban development, planning and building sports facilities, and organizing major sports events is extremely valuable”, and in his opinion “the IOC needs exactly this knowledge today”.
I am especially grateful to him and to Hungary for organizing the fantastically successful World Athletics Championships this summer. The successful WC was another proof of Balázs’ excellent leadership skills, strategic and innovative thinking. I am very happy that from now on we have become colleagues in addition to our old friendship
Bubka stated.
