This was swiftly followed by a sea of green bats being raised as delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of World Aquatics moving its HQ to the Hungarian capital.

Excitement washed over members at the World Aquatics Congress in Fukuoka as they looked at the prospect of sending their athletes to the performance centre that would be the new hub for the global governing body.

The three-minute video gave viewers a glimpse of what the HQ planned to be located just a stone’s throw away from the Duna Aréna could look like.

Under the proposals presented at the meeting, the performance centre is expected to provide top level facilities where swimmers, artistic swimmers, water polo players, divers and high divers can meet, train and sleep.

An Olympic-sized 50-metre swimming pool is at the heart of the plans as well as meeting space, accommodation and a viewing platform for visitors.

Another key feature in the proposal is an area for divers with platforms ranging from one metre to 27m.

The plans also boast a water polo and diving training pool as well as a space for artistic swimmers that features a spring floor, springboards and a blockfoam landing pit.

The location of the proposed performance centre has yet to be revealed but it is said to be just a five-minute walk from Duna Aréna and 10 minutes from Margaret Island.

It is also not yet known when the relocation to Budapest will take place and how much the HQ will cost to build, but World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam says the body will not spend a penny on its construction and claimed that the financial benefits will be significant.

World Aquatics, formerly named the International Swimming Federation, has been based in Lausanne for the past 37 years after moving from London.

Known globally as the "Olympic Capital", Lausanne is home to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters and the Olympic Museum.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the French founding father of the modern Olympics, moved the IOC from Paris to Lausanne in 1915 after falling in love with the Swiss city located on the shores of Lake Geneva.

More than 50 International Federations are now headquartered there, with many based in the Maison du Sports International built in 2006.

Switzerland is internationally considered as a tax haven given its favourable rates compared to other countries but the cost of living continues to increase.

Al-Musallam claimed that "too much money was being spent" in Lausanne and believes that a move to Budapest will "transform our finances".

As we revealed earlier this week, World Aquatics posted an annual loss of $16.4 million (£12.8 million/€14.7 million) for 2022.

insidethegames has been informed that World Aquatics is projecting to save a "minimum" of $300 million (£232 million/€271 million) over a 30-year period in Budapest after Al-Musallam told the Congress that Lausanne was costing the organisation $15 million (£11.6 million/€13.6 million) a year with "minimum staff".

Al-Musallam said moving to Budapest would allow World Aquatics to recruit double the amount of staff it currently has on its books.

World Aquatics has undergone sweeping reforms since Al-Musallam took the helm in June 2021, replacing Uruguay’s Julio Maglione.

The move to Budapest is another step in the transformation of the organisation but Al-Musallam revealed at the Congress that he had hoped to keep the HQ in Lausanne.

"In 2021, I had a meeting with the City of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud Government," said Al-Musallam.

"I explained to them the needs of World Aquatics and the new vision which all of you supported.

"We are now focusing on the athletes and there is no point of return.

"As you all know that Lausanne have a swimming pool and a lake.

"In November 2021, I had an official meeting with the Minister and I told him that we would like to give our experience, we have a lot of countries ready to cooperate with us to develop swimming worldwide and help with the development of aquatics sport in Switzerland.

"We have been going from 2021 to 2022 to 2023, but nothing happened."

Before flying to Japan for the World Aquatics Championships, Al-Musallam said he had met with Swiss officials where he agreed to keep the Aquatics Integrity Unit in Lausanne and establish a new World Aquatics Foundation there.

"World Aquatics has had a very close relationship with the City of Lausanne since first establishing an office there in 1986, and it is a relationship that I am very committed to continuing long into the future," said Al-Musallam.

"I am delighted that Lausanne will continue to be such an important base for World Aquatics."

But the loss of World Aquatics’ HQ will be a blow to the Olympic Capital and Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó took great pleasure in hailing his country as a "swimming nation" when addressing delegates at the Congress in Fukuoka.

"We are very proud of your recent decision," said Szijjártó.

"I would like to ensure you that we do stand ready to be good hosts of your new global headquarters and we stand ready to prove that you made the best possible decision.

"We take the obligation to provide you a location free of charge for 15 years and we stand ready to provide you with tax benefits although the Hungarian tax systems is the most competitive in Europe generally.

"We will provide immunity for all your official activities and official documents.

"We stand ready to start negotiations about the necessary infrastructure development which will put the relationship of Hungary and the international swimming society into a totally different dynamic."

Al-Musallam said he had scoured the world looking for a base before deciding on Budapest - a city which features the Duna Aréna and is no stranger to staging major aquatics events.

The 5,000-capacity Duna Aréna was built for the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, joining the Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Stadium among Budapest's major aquatics venues.

Budapest stepped in to host the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and has been awarded the rights to stage next year's World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) as well.

"I am so grateful to the Hungarian Government and the Hungarian aquatics family for their understanding of the importance of the development of our sport worldwide," said Al-Musallam.

"Hungary has a deep love of aquatics and I am glad that they want to work with us to help athletes from every corner of the world."

Al-Musallam described Budapest as the new "global hub" for World Aquatics before adding: "We are leading the way and setting a new standard for other International Federations to follow by basing our headquarters and development centre for international athletes."

After losing World Aquatics, Lausanne will hope other IFs will not follow the body's lead.