Istanbul's bid to host the 2020 Olympics comes to a close tomorrow as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) convenes in Buenos Aires to vote between Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo to determine which city will host the 2020 summer games. The vote will take place on Saturday following a final round of presentations in which Istanbul's delegation plans to pull out all the stops.
FINAL PRESENTATION TO CONTAIN SURPRISES
The Istanbul 2020 bid delegation will be making a final presentation to IOC members at the Hilton Hotel in Buenos Aires on Saturday. The presentation, based on the theme "History in the Making" aims to emphasize the historical firsts that will be realized should Istanbul be selected to host the 2020 Olympic Games. The delegation will be imploring that IOC members "make history" by selecting a country that will be hosting the summer games for the first time ever, and on two continents. The delegation will also point out that this would mark the first time the Olympics are held in a country where half of the population is under the age of 25 and in a city that acts as a bridge between religions and cultures. The Istanbul bid slogan, aptly entitled "Bridge Together" is said to be a favorite. Sources say the delegation will also be mentioning the support received by representatives of the four Abrahamic religions for Istanbul's 2020 Olympic bid. According to information obtained, the Istanbul delegation has also included a number of surprises in their presentation for IOC members on Saturday prior to the final vote.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be leading the Istanbul 2020 delegation in Buenos Aires. The Prime minister, who will be flying into Argentina from Russia, where he is currently attending the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires, will be accompanied by a delegation of nearly 200 for the meeting on Saturday to determine Istanbul's summer games fate. Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, Youth and Sports Minister Suat Kılıç and Minister of Environment and City Planning Erdoğan Bayraktar will also take part in the presentation.
KINGS AND QUEENS TO ARRIVE
As is the case with Turkey, state leaders of Istanbul's rival candidate cities, Madrid and Tokyo, will also be on hand for tomorrow's vote. King of Spain Juan Carlos will be leading the Madrid delegation, which includes Prince Felipe and Spanish Prime Minister Mario Rajoy. Japanese Queen Empress Michiko and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will lead Tokyo's delegation.