POSTED: 2012-07-23 06:07:21
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications
July 23 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be in London with a top level government team to show the nation’s support for the 2020 Istanbul bid to host the Summer Games.
Erdogan will be joined by Turkey’s Minister of Youth and Sport, Suat Kılıç, and Mayor of Istanbul, Kadir Topbaş, who are both passionate backers of this fifth Olympic bid to bring the Games to Turkey for the first time.
Hasan Arat, head of the bid, said, “We believe that having our Prime Minister in London as part of the team sends a powerful message to the Olympic family: ‘Istanbul 2020 is a national priority supported by all levels of Government and across the political spectrum’.
“These Games will be an opportunity for the whole Istanbul 2020 team to watch, listen and learn about what it takes to host the world’s greatest event.
“We arrive in London as the proud bearers of the Olympic dreams of our nation - we will work hard to translate the lessons we learn from LOCOG and the IOC into our ambitious but achievable Olympic plans, hopefully turning those Olympic dreams into reality in 2020.”
Prime Minister Erdogan also plans to attend a number of events to personally show his backing for the Team Turkey athletes and will also take time to attend some high-level meetings with the British Government around his busy schedule of official functions and private meetings.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and head of the Turkish National Olympic Committee, Ugur Erdener, added, “There is mounting excitement in Turkey for London 2012; I am delighted that our Prime minister will be on hand to see Turkey’s largest and strongest ever team for the Olympic Games strive to make it our most successful ever Games.
“However this national excitement will turn to Olympic euphoria across Turkey should Istanbul be selected to host the Games in 2020. It will inspire a new generation of Turkish athletes.”
The Istanbul bid team, like Tokyo and Madrid will all three be participating in the IOC observer program getting some on the job training as to all the challenges and rewards of hosting the Olympic Games. The transfer of knowledge following London 2012 will be a valuable lesson learned.
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