POSTED: November 10th 2009
NewsUpdate
Istanbul joins race to host Olympic Games in 2020
KEIR RADNEDGE / Sports Features Communications
LONDON: Istanbul has added its name to the ever-lengthening queue of potential bidders with their eyes on the 2020 Olympic Games.
Confirmation of the intention to bid was delivered by prime ministerial sports adviser Mehmet Atalay in London, taking advantage of the platform offered by a Sports Event Management conference.
Istanbul put forward initial bids for the Games of 2000, 2004 and 2012 so this makes the 4th tiem they will bid. Atalay said: “We decided not to bid for 2016 while we concentrated on trying to make sure we had everything in place to launch a serious attempt for 2020. We think that if we keep pursuing this goal then, ultimately, we will achieve it.
“Like London we have the history, the culture and the organisational experience. Also, we are the bridge between Europe and Asia and the proof is that different cultures and different religions live side by side in a friendly environment.”
Atalay said he believed the 2012 Games in London would be even more impressive and successful than the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. But he stressed that he and his colleagues from the Turkish government’s international sports department had travelled widely to understand the challenge of hosting major events.
He pointed to a list of sports events which had been staged in Turkey – including the dramatic 2005 UEFA Champions League Final – and championships to come.
Atalay added: “We feel much more confident now about being in the race.” Other potential bidders include Tokyo again (with some events possibly staged in Hiroshima and Nagasaki), Italy via Rome or Venice, South Africa with Cape Town or Johannesburg or Durban as well as Qatar, possibly in association with Dubai.
Keywords · Istanbul · Olympic Bids · 2020 Games
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