According to Hungarian news agency MTI, the event was originally scheduled to be held in Guadalajara in Mexico but the city pulled out last month for financial reasons.

“Hungary has never hosted an international event on such a grand scale, so it will be necessary to join forces since this is a huge undertaking. Its success is not written in the stars. We have taken risks but it is possible to accomplish the task. We are proud that FINA has chosen us,” the Prime Minister said at a press conference.

In accordance with the initial plans, the main event is set to take place at Margitsziget, which is widely considered the heart of Budapest’s aquatic life and has been host to many aquatic events in the past. The swimming complex on Margitsziget will be refurbished, Orbán said.

Marculescu said that the junior world championships originally scheduled to be held in Budapest in 2017 will now take place two years later in the Hungarian capital.

Budapest previously won the right to host the 2021 World Aquatics competition but a new round of applications will now be invited to submit tenders for the event, MTI cited the secretary general of the Hungarian swimming association Tünde Szabó as saying.