AW promotion: May 11 marks 100 days to go until the biggest track and field event of the year

This is the first time that the pinnacle event of athletics will be held in Central Europe, in one of the world’s most stunning cities from August 19-27. But a journey to Budapest, Hungary, offers much more than the world’s third biggest sporting event.

Budapest is a favourite location in international sports and tourism due to its historical heritage, state-of-the-art infrastructure and stability. Its rich culture has been present since Roman times – and today it is a melting pot of diverse Europe. Budapest is safe and secure with great services and one of the best transportation networks in Europe. The world’s busiest tramway system and the continent’s first subway operate there.

The capital city of Hungary is easily accessible from the UK by plane with direct flights from London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast, Liverpool, Bristol, Bournemouth and Birmingham. Budapest is quite a wallet-friendly destination, too, with rich cultural traditions and exciting gastronomy. With its world heritage sites and world-famous panorama, Budapest will provide the perfect backdrop for the athletes and the fans.

Since the beginning of the 2010s, Budapest has proven itself on numerous occasions to be an excellent host for world competitions in various international sporting events. UEFA Euro 2020, FINA World Aquatics Championships in 2017 and 2022, Giro d’Italia 2022 Grande Partenza and Tour de Hongrie, or the 2022 EHF European Men’s Handball Championships – to name a few.

Throughout the 125-year history of Hungarian athletics, the country and Budapest have hosted numerous world athletics competitions from the European Championships (1966 and 1998) to the World Indoor Championships (1989 and 2004). The last missing piece was the World Athletics Championships until 2023.

The brand-new National Athletics Centre is the main venue for the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23. The centre is built on the eastern bank of the Danube River on the south side of the city. Previously a brown field, the site and the whole area have been regenerated. The new, purpose-built sport facility and the stadium garden will be open to the public after the event and will be a new leisure park by the Danube River.

READ MORE: New track unveiled in Budapest

The arena has an initial capacity of 35,000 for the World Championships before being reduced to 15,000. Once the temporary upper tier is removed, the stadium will be left with a circular plateau, which will be filled with publicly available leisure areas.

With the marathon and race-walking routes, Heroes’ Square, Andrássy Avenue and the panoramic view of the Danube, the World Championships will also be a tourist attraction. The marathoners are set to compete in the heart of Budapest. They will complete the classic distance on a 10km course, running through the most beautiful, UNESCO World Heritage parts of Budapest.

The start and finish area will be at Heroes’ Square, from where a fast, straight section awaits the competitors along Andrássy Avenue. The only minor climb will be up the recently renovated, historical Chain Bridge, first opened in 1849. From here, the course sends the athletes under Buda Castle and through the tunnel, one of the curiosities of the route. The athletes then will return from Buda to Pest, bypassing the Buda Castle, running across the Chain Bridge again, and then head for Heroes’ Square on Andrássy Avenue.

World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 will be the biggest sporting event of the year with almost 2500 athletes from 203 countries. In Budapest, World Athletics Championships celebrate their 40-year anniversary.

Fans and visitors are welcome to join the superheroes of athletics, not only to cheer them up but also to admire the fabulous city of Budapest.

You can buy tickets and packages here and the detailed schedule here.