The clock counting down to the launch of the 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships was started at 10 a.m. on Sunday in Erzsébet Square, Budapest.
Gábor Gundel Takács started the clock precisely 117 days, 11 hours, 7 minutes and 17 seconds before the official start of the FINA World Aquatics Championships on July 14, 2017.
Smart devices have also been installed in the square so members of the public can view information on the championship’s five locations, can take selfies with Hungarian water polo stars, and see how happy they are with a smile meter.
Minster of State for Sport, Tünde Szabó stressed that Hungary is ready to host its largest ever sports event, with some 100,000 of its 350,000 spectators expected to arrive from abroad.
“To become the best in the world in Hungary while hearing the Hungarian national anthem is every athlete’s dream, and in 117 days’ time it could become reality," Szabó said, adding that the World Championships will give the country the opportunity to draw the world’s attention and highlight its long sporting tradition.
The 17th FINA Aquatics World Championships will be held in Budapest and Balatonfüred between July 14 and 30, 2017.