ISTANBUL IS READY TO HOST THE OLYMPICS

Receiving Achilles Tsaltas, Senior Vice President at International Herald Tribune, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis re-emphasized that Istanbul was ready to host the Olympic Games. 

In the reception held at the Ortaköy Office of the Ministry, Bagis said that Istanbul was not only an attraction center but also an artistic, culture and sports center. Emphasizing that Istanbul was a unique city prepared to host the Olympics when its capacity and energy were taken into account, he said, “As a matter of fact, one of the prominent institutions of Europe like International Herald Tribune is planning to organize the second “International Sports Economy Summit”, the first of which had been held last year, in Istanbul again. As the Ministry for EU Affairs, we will provide them the necessary support on this matter. This Summit will contribute considerably to Istanbul’s achievements.” Underlining that Istanbul hosted newer events each day, each week and each year, Bagis followed his words as follows: “Today people in many European countries facing crisis have been searching for opportunities and the future in Istanbul. With its captivating and inspiring nature, Istanbul is an attraction center for all. We are declaring once again that we are ready to organize the Olympics in Istanbul. It would be a fair and natural choice if Istanbul, which was designated as both the European capital of culture and the European capital of sports even if was not an EU member, was decided to host the Olympics. It is the shortcoming of the Olympic Games that an international event such as the Olympics was not held in Istanbul before in the history of the Olympics. We are willing to eliminate this shortcoming.”