Nory Kruchten, the president of LEN, the governing body of 51 European Swimming Federations, greeted athletes and spectators in Budapest on the occasion of the start of the 30th LEN European Championships on Wednesday.
Hungary is hosting the 12-day event for the fourth time. Athletes from more than 40 countries competing.
The swimming, diving and synchro events are being held on Budapest's Margaret Island, while the two open water events are taking place in Balatonfured at Lake Balaton in the west of the country.
Julio Maglione, the president of FINA, called the Championships one of the world's most important sports events.
Tamas Gyarfas, President of the Hungarian Swimming Association and chairman of the organising committee of the Championships, said that 41 out of LEN's 51 member countries who sent competitors to the event was a record high, and so was the number of participants, which has reached 1,000 this year.
Maglione gave a positive answer to questions guessing Hungary's chance at hosting a swimming world championship in the future.
"Conditions for a Budapest world championships are the best," Maglione said, adding that he would support for Hungary's bid to organise the world event in 2015.
Hungary has entered a record number of 59 swimmers in the European championship, and its athletes are expected to collect at least five gold medals.
The man on 5 of long distance swimmers' kilometre competitions two bronzes-, in the pool competition, two silver medal winning ones were female though on 100 m of breast.
