National Athletics Centre (Budapest)
| Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ | |
National Athletics Centre in 27 August 2023 | |
Interactive map of National Athletics Centre | |
| Full name | National Athletics Centre |
|---|---|
| Location | Budapest, Hungary |
| Coordinates | 47°27′48″N 19°4′12″E / 47.46333°N 19.07000°E |
| Owner | Hungarian Athletics Association (MASZ) |
| Capacity | 36,000 (2023 World Athletics Championships)[3], 14,000 (current) |
| Surface | Grass infield |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 17 June 2023[1] |
| Construction cost | HUF 246 billion (€658 million)[2] |
| Architect | FERENCZ, Marcel - NAPUR Architect Kft |
| Tenants | |
| Hungarian Athletics Association (2023–present) | |
The National Athletics Centre (Hungarian: Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ, pronounced [ˈnɛmzɛti ˈɒtleːtikɒji ˈkøspont]) is a track and field stadium in Budapest, Hungary. It has held the 2023 World Athletics Championships. The stadium was built on the eastern bank of the Danube River south of central Budapest, with a capacity of 36,000 for the championships, which was reduced to 14,000 for future events.[4][5][6]
An all-purpose stadium with a capacity of 60.000 had been planned for the site as part of Budapest's cancelled bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[7] In 2017, when the Hungarian Athletics Federation applied to host the 2023 World Athletics Championships, a smaller stadium was planned and eventually constructed after Budapest won the bid in 2018. The stadium stood on what was the compound of Scientific Research Institute for Water Management (VITUKI); demolition of the old compound which included a tower block began in 2020, parallel with the construction start of the new stadium.[8]
Construction was completed in 2023, complemented with a public recreation area as well as a network of footpaths and bicycle paths which includes bridges.[9] After the stadium's capacity was reduced by dismantling the upper tier, another running track was installed on its footprint, which was opened for public use.
The centre is accessible by a number of public transport services, namely trams[10], buses, and suburban rail. The Közvágóhíd transport hub serves all three modes and is the nearest public transport access to the stadium, in addition to the stadium's own bus stop.
References
- ^ PHOTOS: Here’s the new National Athletics Centre in Hungary!
- ^ "Construction: Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
- ^ "Budapest: National Athletics Stadium growing fast". Stadium DB. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ "Budapest's second national stadium". StadiumDB. 6 December 2018.
- ^ "IAAF COUNCIL MAKES KEY DECISIONS IN MONACO". IAAF. 4 December 2018.
- ^ "Magyarország történelmi sportsikere; Budapesten rendezik a 2023-as atlétikai világbajnokságot" (in Hungarian). Atletika.hu. 4 December 2018.
- ^ "Candidature File Stage 1: Vision, Games Concept, and Strategy - Budapest 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games" (PDF).
- ^ "Volt egyszer egy Vituki - Emlékezés egy nemzetközi rangot kivívott kutatóintézetre" [Once upon a time there was a Vituki - Remembering a research institute that achieved international standing] (PDF) (in Hungarian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-01-31.
- ^ "204 milliárd: többet költünk az atlétikai vb infrastruktúrájára, mint a Puskás stadionra | 24.hu". 24.hu. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ^ "National Athletics Center". www.budapest.com. Retrieved 2026-02-27.