Turkey: Erdogan Announces Istanbul In Bid To Host 2020 Olympic Games
By KUNA
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Saturday that Istanbul would run the race to host the Olympic games in 2020, saying the event was important for the Turkish people.
“We are gathered here today to announce to the world that we are a candidate to host this international important event,” Erdogan told a news conference in Istanbul.
He said they felt very excited because “they will achieve their objective.”
“Our candidature to host the Olympics stemmed from our realization in the great importance of sports value and olympic spirit, which we believe play an active role in maintaining peace everywhere in the world,” he said.
Istanbul will be competing against Rome, Madrid, Tokyo and maybe Doha.
Istanbul had competed to organize the Olympic games in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 but all bids were fruitless.
