Istanbul submitts 2020 Olympic bid

?stanbul submitted its bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday, its fifth attempt to win the right to host the world's largest sports event Today`s Zaman reported

?stanbul will be competing against four other cities: Tokyo, Doha, Madrid and Baku. The ?stanbul delegation delivered its documents to the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday, the deadline for formal bid submissions. Rome dropped out on Tuesday when Premier Mario Monti said the government would not offer financial support for the bid at a time of economic crisis in Italy. ?stanbul is bidding for a fifth time after failed attempts to host the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

Turkey's National Olympics Committee (TMOK) Deputy Chairman Hasan Arat, senior bid official, told the Anatolia news agency that the committee has been working hard on the bid since Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans for ?stanbul's candidacy to host the games on Aug. 13, 2011. "We worked with ?stanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas, officials from the ?stanbul Metropolitan Municipality, ?stanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu and Youth and Sports Minister Suat K?l?ç. These works have been approved by the prime minister as well," he said, adding the delegation presented letters from many of the senior political figures involved in the project to the International Olympic Committee.

The TMOK Olympic bid file consists of a major plan, according to Arat, who said it elaborates on the technical aspects of Turkey's plans to host the games. On May 25, a meeting will be held in Canada to select which cities will pass through to the candidate stage. The final vote to determine the winning bid will take place in Buenos Aires in September 2013.

Arat said ?stanbul's bid received a positive reaction from the international committee. The ?stanbul delegation delivered a presentation on existing and proposed facilities for the games. The file also included proposals for the Olympic village and media village, as well as plans for the transportation and communication infrastructure needed to support the event.


/Trend/