Hungary unveils logo for 2024 Olympics bid

Hungary unveiled the logo it plans to use in its bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games at a special ceremony here on Thursday.

The logo, designed by the Graphasel Design Studio, was chosen by a Hungarian professional jury from nearly 200 submissions and portrays Hungary's Statue of Liberty, a symbolised Danube River, and a stylised version of the classic Olympic symbol, the five Olympic rings, reports Xinhua.

Present at the unveiling ceremony were Budapest mayor Istvan Tarlos, government Olympic bid supervisor Balazs Furjes, Hungarian Olympic Committee chair Zsolt Borkai, and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Pal Schmitt.

Tarlos reminded his audiences of the many global sports events Budapest has successfully hosted. He called on all Hungarians to work together and to do so every single day.

Borkai underlined the need to design an Olympics that pays for itself. He also warned that the home team will have to be a strong one if the Olympics bid is to succeed.

Furjes praised Budapest as a city of freedom and rejuvenation that is undergoing a renaissance. Hungary has proved to be a reliable partner in organising world sports competitions.

He called Budapest the ideal venue for proving that the IOC's Agenda 2020, a reform program allowing the Olympics to be less costly, is viable.

All-day sports events are being organised in Budapest to mark the presentation of the logo, a huge display of which has been hung up on Chain Bridge for all the city to see.

Budapest is competing against Rome, Paris and Los Angeles. The IOC will vote for the host at a congress in September 2017.