Seeking Turkish delight

A series of historic firsts will be realized if the International Olympic Committee awards the 2020 Summer Games to Istanbul, bid chairman Hasan Arat said this week.

Officials from Istanbul 2020 attended the Asian Youth Games in Nanjing this week to promote their bid. The Turkish city is a finalist with Madrid and Tokyo to be the host city, and the IOC will choose the winner by secret ballot on Sept 7 in Buenos Aires.

"It would bridge Olympic culture to new culture ... a bridge to the future of our young generations," Arat said.

If Istanbul is selected, the 2020 Olympics would be the first Games staged simultaneously on two continents (Eurasia) and the first to be hosted by a predominantly Muslim country.

"In the morning you can watch rowing in Asia, while in the afternoon you can watch basketball in Europe. That can only happen in Istanbul. This is the magic of Istanbul," Arat said.

A former professional basketball player turned businessman, Arat stressed the future of youth in the region could be changed forever by a vote for Istanbul.

"This bid is for the future of our country, the future of our young people, as 50 percent of Turkey's population is under 25 years old," he said.

"It will not only affect youth in Istanbul, in Turkey, but also young people in neighboring countries."

Arat is optimistic about Istanbul's fifth bid, stating that over the past several years the city has seen the development of new venues and infrastructure improvements. Turkey's fast growing economy can also greatly benefit the bid, he said.

Public support for the bid has risen to 94 percent among Istanbul residents, according to Arat. That is higher than the reported 76 percent for Madrid and 70 percent for Tokyo.

However, anti-government protests that swept across Turkey in June have cast a shadow.

"Generally, I don't see that as a big issue for our bid because Turkey is a stable country, not a country with a lot of ups and downs. You can see it from the economy. If you have problems, you cannot grow an economy," Arat said.

Istanbul's bid has also been affected by recent doping cases involving Turkish athletes. Olympic 1,500m champion Asli Cakir Alptekin and two-time European 100m hurdles champion Nevin Yanit were charged with doping violations in May.

"This is a global issue," Arat said. "What we are looking for in the future is clean athletes for the 2016 and 2020 Games. That's why the Turkish government is pushing so hard to make zero tolerance for those who cheat. We are cleaning house."

(China Daily 08/22/2013 page23)