POSTED: July 23rd 2012

NewsUpdate

Istanbul 2020: New logo represents the connection of Europe and Asia and the iconic city skyline

LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications

July 23 – Following a democratic voting process with the public the Istanbul 2020 bid has finally found their identity with a new graphic image that epitomizes many symbols of the city.

As the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, prepared to leave for London for the Games he gave a farewell speech to the record breaking number of athletes on the biggest team ever and announced the final choice of the logo and graphic detail. He said, “As a Government, we are very involved in promoting and supporting the Istanbul 2020 Bid. Turkey has the ambition, potential and infrastructure required to host the 2020 Games”

The image combines the Tulip, which is the flower of Istanbul, and images of the iconic skyline of the city, as well denotes the two continents Europe and Asia connected by the water. Should they get the IOC nod it will be the first time that a Games could bridge two continents by holding some of the events on the European side as well as the Asian area.

Hasan Arat, leader of the Istanbul 2020 Bid, said he believes the new logo symbolises what Istanbul is offering to the Olympic Movement:

“A vibrant and young nation, a bridge between Europe and Asia, a modern and spectacular setting steeped in history– these are the ideas we wanted the Istanbul 2020 Candidate City logo to represent and our people have not let us down with their vote.

“Our new logo has been chosen by Turkey’s young population to act as a symbol of inspiration for our Olympic dream.”

The graphics also signify the rich cultural history and the choice of the two colors represent turquoise, the symbol of Turkish culture, and bright orange to show the vibrant side of the city as well as its stunning sunsets.

Istanbul is competing against Tokyo and Madrid to host the 2020 Games. The IOC will make their choice on September 7th of 2013 at the IOC session in Buenos Aires.

Keywords · Istanbul 2020 ·

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