Istanbul 2020 ( Turkish: ) was a bid for the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

by the city of

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

and the

Turkish Olympic Committee Turkish National Olympic Committee (TNOC) ( tr, Türkiye Milli Olimpiyat Komitesi (TMOK)) is the governing Olympic body of Turkey. It is based in Istanbul. History As one of the oldest National Olympic Committees in the world, TNOC was founded o ...

History

Applicant City phase

The

(TMOK) announced the selection of Istanbul as Turkey's candidate on July 7, 2011. Turkey's candidacy was announced officially by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

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 The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (german: Olympische Jugend-Winterspiele 2012), officially known as the I Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in Innsbruck, Austria, on 13–22 J ...

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a p ...

to help promote the bid. In March 2012, Istanbul successfully hosted the

2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the 14th edition of the global-level indoor track and field competition and was held between March 9–11, 2012 at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the first of fou ...

, which was seen as a positive step forward for Istanbul's bid to host the 2020 Olympics. In March 2012, Prime Minister

Tayyip Erdogan Tayyip () is a Turkish given name for males. Tayyip may refer to: * Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously ...

stated that Turkey is also interested in bidding to host the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship. Turkey bid to host

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...

but lost to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

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 Jacques Jean Marie Rogge, Count Rogge (, ; 2 May 1942 – 29 August 2021) was a Belgian sports administrator and physician who served as the eighth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2013. In 2013, Rogge bec ...

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 Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

was submitted. In addition, a bid from

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

was also submitted.

Candidate City phase

On May 23, 2012, the IOC Selected Istanbul as a Candidate City for the

. Right after being shortlisted as a candidate city, it was announced that the Vice President of the

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 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

and

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

. The

Prime Minister of Turkey The prime minister of the Republic of Turkey (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Başbakanı'') was the head of government of the Republic of Turkey from 1920 to 2018, who led a political coalition in the Grand National Assembly of ...

, Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the

London 2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. At the end of May 2012, it was announced that a

third bridge The Deputy Darcy Castelo de Mendonça Bridge, colloquially known as the Third Bridge (Portuguese: Terceira Ponte), is the second tallest bridge in Brazil, connecting the cities of Vila Velha and Vitória in the state of Espirito Santo. Spann ...

over the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

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 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europ ...

Championship would be held throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

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 The 11th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) was held in Istanbul, Turkey on 12–16 December 2012. This swimming-only championships took place in the Sinan Erdem Dome; all events were swum in a 25-meter ( short-course) pool. The United ...

at the

Sinan Erdem Dome The Sinan Erdem Dome (), formerly known as the Ataköy Dome, is a multi-purpose indoor arena that is located in Ataköy, Bakırköy, Istanbul on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. It has a seating capacity of 22,500 for concerts. For the sp ...

. 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 The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

Chairman

Naoki Inose is a Japanese politician, journalist, historian, social critic and biographer of literary figures such as Yukio Mishima and Osamu Dazai. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Tokyo from June 2007Jun Hongo"Ishihara's new right-hand man settles in."'' ...

created controversy when he made a comment that was seen as a criticism of

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 Kadir Topbaş (8 January 1945 – 13 February 2021) was a Turkish architect, businessperson and politician who served as Mayor of Istanbul from 2004 to 2017. Biography He was born on 8 January 1945 in Altıparmak village of Yusufeli district ...

gave an interview expressing concern that the police's actions following an anti-government protest would jeopardize Istanbul's bid to host the

, 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

stated that these events would not negatively impact the city's bid. IOC Presidential Candidate

Thomas Bach Thomas Bach (born 29 December 1953) is a German lawyer, former Olympic foil fencer and Olympic gold medalist, serving as the ninth and current president of the International Olympic Committee since 10 September 2013. He is also a former mem ...

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

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 , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

in July 2013.

Mersin Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and district governorates: Akdeniz, Mezitl ...

hosted the

2013 Mediterranean Games The 2013 Mediterranean Games ( tr, 2013 Akdeniz Oyunları), officially known as the XVII Mediterranean Games ( tr, XVII Akdeniz Oyunları) and commonly known as Mersin 2013, was an international multi-sport event held from 20 to 30 June 2013 i ...

from June 20 to June 30, 2013. Turkey hosted the

2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the nineteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. It ran from 21 June to 13 July 2013. At the FIFA Executive Meeting in Zürich on 3 March 2011 ...

from June 21 to July 13, 2013.

125th IOC Session

The host city of the

was elected at the

125th IOC Session The 125th IOC Session took place at the Buenos Aires Hilton in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 7 to 10 September 2013. On 7 September, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) elected Tokyo as the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympic ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

on September 7, 2013. Tokyo competed against

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

and

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 A wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Turkey began on 28 May 2013, initially to contest the urban development plan for Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park. The protests were sparked by outrage at the violent eviction of a sit-in at the park prote ...

, 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

at Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium.

Previous bids

Turkey has yet to host an Olympic Games. Istanbul has made four previous bids for the Summer Games. The city was a candidate for the 2000 Games which were awarded to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

. It bid again for

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

, which were held in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

, but failed to become a candidate city. It became a candidate for

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

but lost to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

. The Turkish city's most recent bid was for the 2012 Games but it failed to become a candidate.

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

was awarded the 2012 Games.

Overview

Istanbul hosted the knockout stage of the 2010 Basketball World Championship as well as the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. Istanbul was chosen as the European Capital of Sports for 2012. The

2011 WTA Tour Championships The 2011 WTA Tour Championships (also known for sponsorship reasons as the 2011 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships) was a tennis tournament played at Istanbul, Turkey from October 25 to October 30, 2011. It was the first time Turkey hosted the WTA ...

and 2012 Euroleague Final Four will be hosted in Istanbul. The

Abdi İpekçi Arena Abdi İpekçi Arena, formerly known as Abdi İpekçi Sports Complex, was a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul, Turkey, situated just outside the ancient city walls, in Yedikule. History Designed in 1979 ...

hosted the Final of

EuroBasket 2001 The 2001 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2001, was the 32nd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, giving a be ...

, and was also the venue for the 1992 Euroleague Final Four. The venue also hosted

2004 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was the 49th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey, following the country's victory at the with the song "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener. Organised by the European Broa ...

. Istanbul will be bid 2032 Summer Olympics.

Venues

Venues would have been located in four zones and seven clusters around the city. The Olympic City Zone on the European side and the Olympic City Cluster would have included Atatürk Olympic Stadium and would have been home to the

Olympic Village An Olympic Village is an accommodation center built for the Olympic Games, usually within an Olympic Park or elsewhere in a host city. Olympic Villages are built to house all participating athletes, as well as officials and athletic trainers. Afte ...

, with the

Esenler Esenler is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, on its European side. Esenler is mainly densely packed, working class residential in the midst of its industrial neighbouring districts of Gaziosmanpaşa, Güngören and Bağcılar. The mayor is Tevfi ...

Cluster of facilities just west of the main stadiums. The Coastal Zone along the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via t ...

would have included the Ataköy Cluster around Ataköy Athletics Arena and the

, while the Old City Cluster would have included cycle and triathlon facilities. The Bosporus zone would have had the Taksim Cluster on the European side and the Port Cluster on the Asian side, including

Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium () (Known for sponsorship reasons as Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi, or Ülker Stadium for short) is a football stadium located in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is th ...

. The final zone was the Forest Zone around

Belgrade Forest Belgrad Forest ( tr, Belgrad Ormanı) is a mixed deciduous forest lying adjacent to Istanbul, Turkey. It is named after the village next to the forest, settled by thousands of Serbs who were deported to the capital Constantinople from the city of ...

in the north part of the European Side, where facilities would have included archery, volleyball, and rowing.

Türk Telekom Arena Nef Stadium (officially known as the Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi – Nef Stadyumu) is a football stadium serving as the home ground of the Süper Lig club Galatasaray It is located in the Seyrantepe quarter of the Sarıyer district, on the Euro ...

, Atatürk Olympic Stadium and Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, which were built or renovated in the first decade of the 21st century, are three

UEFA Elite Stadium UEFA stadium categories are categories for football stadiums laid out in UEFA's Stadium Infrastructure Regulations. Using these regulations, stadiums are rated as category one, two, three, or four (renamed from elite) in ascending ranking order. ...

s in Istanbul. Atatürk Olympic Stadium hosted

UEFA Champions League Final The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of European ...

in 2005 and

hosted the UEFA Cup Final in 2009. There are also plans to construct a stadium which would have been used for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as for marathons. Fenerbahçe International Sports Complex

Ülker Sports Arena Ülker is a Turkish multinational food and beverage manufacturer based in Istanbul, Turkey. Its products are exported internationally, to 110 countries. Ülker's core products are biscuits, cookies, crackers, and chocolates, although it has ex ...

, the newest multi-purpose

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

, opened on January 25, 2012, with the inaugural Fenerbahçe- EA7 Emporio Armani basketball match of the Euroleague 2011-12 Top 16. In 2012,

hosted the 2011–12 Euroleague Final Four matches and the final phase of the

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

Olympic City Cluster

* Atatürk Olympic Stadium – Athletics (track and field), Modern Pentathlon *National Arena – Gymnastics *Olympic Training Centre (Planned) – Boxing, Judo, Wrestling, Badminton, Table Tennis *Olympic Hockey Centre (Planned) – Hockey *Olympic Tennis Centre (Planned) – Tennis *Olympic Aquatic Centre – Aquatics (Swimming, Synchrozied Swimming) *Olympic Diving Stadium – Diving *Olympic Water Polo Stadium – Water Polo

Esenler Cluster

*National Equestrian Centre (Additional) – Equestrian *Olympic Basketball Centre – Basketball *Esenler Golf Club – Golf

Old City Cluster

– Handball *Altınkapı Park – Marathon, Race Walks, Cycling (Road) *Altınkapı Marina – Aquatics (Swimming Marathon), Triathlon

Taksim Cluster

*Harbiye Congress Auditorium – Weightlifting *

BJK İnönü Stadium İnönü Stadium ( tr, İnönü Stadyumu) was a football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey and the home ground of the football club Beşiktaş J.K. Previously, the ground had also been shared with Galatasaray S.K. and Fenerbahçe S.K. The ground was ...

– Rugby

Port Cluster

*Bosphorus Stadium (Planned) - Opening & Closing Ceremonies, Marathon *Bosphorus Archery Park – Archery *Bosphorus Beach Volleyball Centre – Beach Volleyball *Bosphorus Rowing Centre – Canoe Kayak (Sprint), Rowing, Swimming Marathon *

– Football

Ataköy Cluster

– Basketball * Ataköy Athletics Arena – Fencing, Taekwondo *Olympic Velodrome (Planned) – Cycling (Track) * Ataköy Marina – Sailing

Forest Cluster

*National Shooting Centre – Shooting *Belgrade Forest Cycle Park – Cycling (BMX), Cycling (Mountain Biking) *Olympic Whitewater Stadium – Canoe Kayak (Slalom) *

– Football

Stand Alone Venues

– Volleyball *New Ankara Stadium – Football *New Bursa Stadium – Football *New Antalya Stadium – Football

Accommodations

According to the data of the Association of the Touristic Hotels and Investors (TUROB) of the Republic of Turkey, at the end of 2010, 766 accommodation establishments of different categories in Istanbul (licensed by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Turkey and/or the municipality of Istanbul) had the total of 46,652 rooms and 93,299 beds. That capacity alone was sufficient to accommodate the annual volume of 10 million tourists. At the same time, another 51 new hotels (of which 25 were 5-star hotels) were at various stages of development at the end of 2010, bringing another 9,512 rooms and 19,800 beds to the already existing capacity. With the completion of these new hotels, Istanbul's accommodation capacity will have reached, within a few years, the total of 817 hotels, 56,164 rooms and 113,990 beds. As the ninth most visited city in the world and the ninth most popular congress destination in the world, Istanbul is also the location for a number of international hotel chains, hosting, as of September 2015, 106 operating international chain hotels, with further 31 such hotels scheduled to open before late 2017. In 2013, Istanbul was selected the best holiday destination in

Logo

Istanbul 2020's official bid logo was revealed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 22, 2012, after an online voting process between five potential logos. The logo combines the outline of a

tulip Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm ...

, a traditional symbol of the city, with elements of the Istanbul skyline centered around the

Maiden's Tower __NOTOC__ The Maiden's Tower ( tr, Kız Kulesi), also known as Leander's Tower (''Tower of Leandros'') since the medieval Byzantine period, is a tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, from the coast of Ü ...

. The top part represents the European side of the city, while the bottom reflects the Asian side, which are divided by the

Bosporus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

. The colors are orange, which reflects the color of sunset in the city, and turquoise, which is connected to Turkish culture.

Bid sponsors

Digiturk Digiturk is a Turkish satellite television provider founded in 1999, with services starting in mid-2000. They provide both national television channels and their own channels, national radio, and music streams of different genres. Digiturk is als ...

http://www.istanbul2020.com.tr/en/files/21January.pdf *

Doğuş Holding Doğuş () is a Turkish name and may refer to: * Doğuş Balbay, Turkish basketball player * Doğuş Holding, one of the top three largest private-sector conglomerates in Turkey * Doğuş University, private university in İstanbul See also * ...

/ Garanti *

Koç Holding Koç Holding A.Ş. () is the largest industrial conglomerate in Turkey, and the only company in the country to be listed on the Fortune Global 500 as of 2016. The company, headquartered in Nakkaştepe, Istanbul, is controlled by the Koç family, ...

Yapı Kredi Yapı Kredi is one of the first nationwide commercial banks in Turkey, and is the fourth largest publicly owned bank in Turkey by its asset size. It was established in 1944 by Kazım Taşkent. Assets of the bank include credit cards, assets un ...

Sabancı Holding Hacı Ömer Sabancı Holding A.Ş., commonly abbreviated as Sabancı Holding, is an industrial and financial conglomerate with headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey. The company's primary activities are in financial services, energy (electricity gener ...

Akbank Akbank T.A.Ş. is one of the largest banks in Turkey. Founded in 1948, , it had revenues of nearly TL 13.7 billion. Listed on the Borsa Istanbul, its largest shareholders are members of the Sabancı family. Akbank is a bank that offers vehicle ...

Turkcell Turkcell İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş. (''lit. Turkcell Communication Services'') (, ) is the leading mobile phone operator of Turkey, based in Istanbul. The company has 39,3 million subscribers as of September 2021. In 2015, the company's number o ...

Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines ( Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları'') is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 340 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the ...

Yıldız Holding Yıldız Holding is a Turkish conglomerate that is best known for manufacturing food products. The company also produces other consumer goods and has its own retail, private equity and real estate operations. Yıldız Holding is among the large ...

Ülker Ülker is a Turkish multinational food and beverage manufacturer based in Istanbul, Turkey. Its products are exported internationally, to 110 countries. Ülker's core products are biscuits, cookies, crackers, and chocolates, although it has ex ...

References

External links

Istanbul 2020 official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Istanbul Bid For The 2020 Summer Olympics Istanbul 2020 Olympic bid Sport in Istanbul * 2020 in Istanbul 2020 in Turkish sport