Applicant City phase The
Turkish Olympic Committee (TMOK) announced the selection of Istanbul as Turkey's candidate on July 7, 2011. Turkey's candidacy was announced officially by
Prime Minister Erdogan on August 13, 2011.
Hasan Arat, who heads Istanbul 2020 Bid committee, was optimistic about the city's fifth bid, stating that over the past several years the city has seen the development of new venues and infrastructure improvements. He also stated that Turkey's fast growing economy could also greatly benefit the bid. In January 2012, Istanbul 2020 sent a delegation to the
2012 Winter Youth Olympics in
Innsbruck to help promote the bid. In March 2012, Istanbul successfully hosted the
2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, which was seen as a positive step forward for Istanbul's bid to host the 2020 Olympics. In March 2012, Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan stated that Turkey is also interested in bidding to host the
2020 UEFA European Football Championship. Turkey bid to host
UEFA Euro 2016 but lost to
France by one vote. In April 2012, Turkey submitted a bid to host the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship. Istanbul 2020 has stated that the Olympic bid still had the support of the government. On May 8, 2012,
IOC President Jacques Rogge stated that if Istanbul was to be awarded the 2020 Olympics that they would have to withdraw as hosts of UEFA Euro 2020. IOC rules state that an Olympic host nation may not host another major sporting event in the country in the same year as the Olympics. While it initially looked like Turkey would be the sole bidder for UEFA Euro 2020, two other bids for the event have also been submitted. A joint bid among
Ireland,
Scotland and
Wales was submitted. In addition, a bid from
Azerbaijan and
Georgia was also submitted.
Candidate City phase On May 23, 2012, the IOC Selected Istanbul as a Candidate City for the
2020 Summer Olympics. Right after being shortlisted as a candidate city, it was announced that the Vice President of the
Turkish Olympic Committee Hasan Arat would serve as the head of Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympics. In July 2012, the bid received the endorsement of American Olympic gold-medalist
Mark Spitz who won a total of nine Olympic gold medals between
1968 and
1972. The
Prime Minister of Turkey,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the
London 2012 Olympics. At the end of May 2012, it was announced that a
third bridge over the
Bosphorus would be built. This bridge will help to ease traffic in the city should Istanbul be successful in being awarded the 2020 Olympics. The bridge was set to open by 2015, and was part of the original application. The
Istanbul Metro has 58 stations in service, with 23 more under construction. It was announced in December 2012 that the
UEFA Euro 2020 Championship would be held throughout
Europe rather than being held among one or two host nations. This decision, therefore, eliminated the potential conflict Turkey would have had due to that fact they had bids to host the Olympics and the UEFA Championship in the same year. In December 2012, Istanbul hosted the
2012 FINA Short Course World Championships at the
Sinan Erdem Dome. Istanbul 2020 submitted its candidature file to the IOC on January 7, 2013. The IOC Evaluation Commission visited Istanbul from March 24 to March 27, 2013. On March 25 Istanbul 2020 revealed the bid's slogan, "Bridge Together". The slogan represents how Istanbul is a city that is located on two continents. In April 2013,
Tokyo 2020 Chairman
Naoki Inose created controversy when he made a comment that was seen as a criticism of
Istanbul and their bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Inose was quoted saying, “Well, compare the two countries where they have yet to build infrastructure, very sophisticated facilities. So from time to time, like in Brazil, I think it's good to have a venue for the first time. But Islamic countries, the only thing they share in common is Allah and they are fighting with each other and they have classes.” Criticizing rival bids are forbidden under IOC rules. Following Inose's statement, Tokyo 2020 made a statement saying that they "have the utmost respect for all candidate cities and have always taken pride in bidding in a spirit based on the Olympic values of excellence, respect, and friendship.” Inose apologized for his comments a few days later and stated that he was "fully committed" to respecting IOC rules. In June 2013, Istanbul mayor
Kadir Topbaş gave an interview expressing concern that
the police's actions following an anti-government protest would jeopardize Istanbul's bid to host the
2020 Summer Olympics, saying "As Istanbul's mayor going through such an event, the fact that the whole world watched saddens me. How will we explain it? With what claims will we host the 2020 Olympic Games?" Istanbul 2020 released a statement saying that "despite these recent events, all sections of Turkey remain united in our dream to host our nation’s first-ever Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020." IOC President
Jacques Rogge stated that these events would not negatively impact the city's bid. IOC Presidential Candidate
Thomas Bach also stated that he did not believe that these events would hurt the bid. The President of the NOCT,
Uğur Erdener stated that these events would strengthen the bid.
Turkey Daily Press reported that an anonymous IOC member from
Europe stated that the protests which have seen police brutality against peaceful protesters was a "big blow" to Istanbul's bid. The 2020 IOC Evaluation Commission Report on the Candidate Cities for the 2020 Summer Olympics was released on June 25. Istanbul 2020 gave a presentation of their bid to the IOC at an Extraordinary session in
Lausanne in July 2013.
Mersin hosted the
2013 Mediterranean Games from June 20 to June 30, 2013. Turkey hosted the
2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup from June 21 to July 13, 2013.
125th IOC Session The host city of the
2020 Summer Olympics was elected at the
125th IOC Session in
Buenos Aires,
Argentina on September 7, 2013. Tokyo competed against
Madrid and
Istanbul in the election and finished second with Tokyo ultimately being elected as the host city.
Outlook, Conclusion and Future Istanbul's bid was considered to have been damaged by the
2013 protests in Turkey, doping scandals as well as the
2011 Turkish football corruption scandal. Following Istanbul's failure to secure the 2020 Olympics, Turkey launched a bid to host the semi-finals and final of
UEFA Euro 2020 at Istanbul's
Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Upon securing its rights, the city would host the
2027 European Games as well. ==Previous bids==