Turkish PM announces bid for 2020 Olympic Games

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Istanbul will again bid to host 2020 Olympic Games.

“We are here today to declare to the world our candidacy for the 2020 Olympic Games, which we consider extremely important for our country and people,” Erdoğan said in his televised remarks, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

“We are bidding because we deem the sporting values and the Olympic spirit that have made a great contribution in establishing peace in the world as extremely important,” Erdogan said.

In 2002 Turkey completed the construction of the Istanbul Atatürk Olympic Stadium, which has a capacity of 75,000.

Istanbul joins Rome, Madrid and Tokyo who have already announced bids. Another potential candidate is Doha, Qatar. South Africa announced it would not bid, but has indicated that it could still reverse its decision.

Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, which has been hit by the global economic crisis, decided not to bid but has said it would consider bidding in 2024. The IOC will select the 2020 host city in 2013.

Potential hosts have until Sept. 1 to announce their bids. The IOC will name the winner on Sept. 7, 2013 in Buenos Aires.