Argentina’s Armenians to rally against Istanbul 2020 Summer Olympics bid

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian community of Argentina will hold a rally on Saturday, Sept 7 against the possible designation of Istanbul as the host of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

The protesters will point to human rights violations by the Turkish government and the continued denial of the Armenian Genocide.

Three cities vying to host the 2020 Summer Olympics are making their final pitches to the international committee charged with picking the venue for the colossal sporting event.

The International Olympic Committee's 100-odd members will cast their secret ballots this Saturday to choose Madrid, Tokyo or Istanbul as the victor.

Each country is struggling to overcome domestic challenges that range from political unrest to a persistent recession, threatening to derail their two-year-long campaigns to secure the Olympic and Paralympic Games, CBC News says.

The bid by Tokyo, a steady bookie favorite over the past months, has been marred by concerns over the inability of Tepco to contain a leak of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant in northern Japan damaged by the 2011 disaster.

Large scale anti-government demonstrations swept across Turkey in June and the escalating civil war in Syria threatens to spill over into the region.

For Madrid, it's the country's economic uncertainties that plague its bid to host the costly sporting event. Spain suffers from a crippling 27 per cent jobless rate.

Spain says 80 per cent of the necessary venues are already built, leaving an estimated $1.9 billion to be spent constructing the remaining buildings. It's the lowest cost bid by far and less than half of the next closest, Japan's estimated $4.4 billion infrastructure budget.

The Istanbul bid rests largely on its promise of legacy. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently made a fervent pitch for Istanbul, touting its "distinction" since it's the only country on the roster that has never hosted the Olympics. As such, the country needs to build about 70 per cent of its 38 venues, at an estimated cost of nearly $20 billion.

“If the I.O.C. chose Istanbul, they would be making history,” the New York Times quoted Hasan Arat, a businessman and former basketball player who heads the Istanbul bid, as saying. “It would be the first step of the Olympic movement to come to this region, this territory. The legacy would be huge.”

Istanbul’s candidacy has also been left uncertain by the war in neighboring Syria and a possible military intervention there by the United States; a doping scandal that ensnared more than 30 track and field athletes in Turkey; possible transportation shortcomings; and spectator indifference to the recent under-20 world soccer championships in Turkey.

Regarding the protests, Arat said, “This is normal in democratic countries; it can happen in New York or London.” He said the suspension of athletes for doping offenses showed that Turkey had a “zero-tolerance policy.”

Another key measure for the IOC is the level of local enthusiasm for the Games — and in that area, Turkey comes out ahead. The committee's own survey found support for the Olympic bid from Istanbul residents was at 83 per cent. Comparatively, Madrid support sits at 76 per cent.