Inaugural Istvan Gyulai Memorial announced

Budapest, Hungary – Just days after the passing of the five year anniversary of the death of Istvan Gyulai, it was announced that the 1st edition of the “István Gyulai Memorial –Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix 2011” will take place on 30 July in the Ferenc Puskás Stadium, in Budapest.

The event is named after one of the most recognised and most popular Hungarian sports diplomats, the former General Secretary of both the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Gyulai was an outstanding athlete himself, having won 28 national championships as well as taking gold in the Universiade in Porto Alegre in 1963 and participating in the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games of 1964.

Shortly after earning his university diploma in English and German, Gyulai started to work for Hungarian Television as a sports announcer, before being elected to the IAAF Council in 1984. In 1991 he was named IAAF General Secretary and served two presidents during his reign in office over the next decade-and-a-half. As the most successful Hungarian sports diplomat, Gyulai played an instrumental role in bringing large scale international championships to Hungary, including the 1988 European Indoor Championships, the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships, the 1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, the 1998 European Championships, the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships, the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships, the 2006 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships and the 2007 European U23 Championships.

The press conference announcing the event saw the presence of Attila Czene, the State Secretary for Sports in Hungary, Tibor Gécsek, 1998 Hammer Throw European Champion and László Szalma, double Long Jump European Indoor Champion, both of whom competed regularly at the famous Budapest Grand Prix in 1980s in front of a capacity crowd of over 40,000 spectators. The guests were also greeted by a personal video-welcome message by IAAF President Lamine Diack, who wished the organisers all the best and recognised the achievements of Gyulai. While Czene assured the guests that the event enjoys the full support of the government, Gécsek and Szalma shared memories of their competitive careers under the international guidance and often commentary of Gyulai.

The resurrection of the famous 1980’s Budapest Grand Prix is the basis for what is to become the heritage of the István Gyulai Memorial. The meeting director Márton Gyulai, who is also the younger son of the former IAAF General Secretary, is looking to create an annual event, where world class athletes participate and with their performances pay a worthy tribute to his late father. Over the coming years the István Gyulai Memorial is destined to evolve into the top sporting event in Hungarian society, an icon that does not only unite athletics domestically but also attracts regional and global respect and interest, as did the man whose name it bears.

The date of the first meeting coincides with the FIA Formula-1 Hungarian Grand Prix, which takes place just a short drive from the stadium on the day after. Organisers have already agreed on granting free access to the Memorial for anyone with a valid Formula-1 ticket, thereby hoping to attract a capacity crowd to the stadium. The meeting will incorporate up to sixteen events in the main international program while many national and underage events will take place in the lead-up to the competition.

The legend of István Gyulai, together with the legend of the 1980’s highly successful Budapest Grand Prix will therefore live on, at least once a year in the hearts of all those attending the István Gyulai Memorial – Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix

Organisers