7 August 2013: 7 years before Istanbul 2020 Opening Ceremony

Message from Istanbul 2020 Chairman, Hasan Arat

Today, 7 August 2013, is exactly one month before the International Olympic Committee selects the host city of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is also exactly seven years before Istanbul 2020’s Opening Ceremony will take place should the city have the honour of being chosen in September. So what better moment to introduce to you some more details of Istanbul 2020’s ceremonies concept and what that concept promises for the future of Istanbul and its citizens?

Istanbul 2020 has pledged to embody the unifying values of the Olympic Movement by staging the Games on two continents simultaneously for the first time ever. Very early in the planning process, we made the decision to activate the Games across the entire city – East and West, Europe and Asia. Not only would it deliver an immersive, unforgettable experience of a brand new culture for the Olympic Movement, it would have immense symbolic power. At the Opening Ceremony, the continents would come together physically and figuratively for an unprecedented celebration of harmony in diversity.

The Istanbul 2020 Bid Committee invites you to discover our vision for an Opening Ceremony that will cross continents and cultures, nations and generations.

A city of celebrations

Istanbul is the focal point for Turkey’s annual Republic Day festivities. On 29 October every year, nearly 200,000 people line the banks of the Bosphorus in a city-wide celebration of the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. The municipality has built up a wealth of first-hand experience in convening and managing these major public gatherings safely, and Istanbul 2020 has drawn upon this experience in creating a feasible and risk-free plan for the biggest party yet. The people of Istanbul love to come together in celebration in their hundreds of thousands, and the city knows just how to create an enjoyable and inclusive atmosphere.

A dedicated ceremonies stadium

Istanbul 2020 would be the first Games in history to have a dedicated ceremonies stadium: the Bosphorus Stadium. It would seat 70,000 in a horseshoe configuration – a classical amphitheatre built to cutting-edge specifications. The bowl of the Bosphorus Stadium would look out across the Bosphorus strait towards the Golden Horn and some of Istanbul’s most iconic architecture, including the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Galata Tower. The Bosphorus Stadium’s breathtaking waterfront location would give plenty of opportunity to activate the waterway itself in exciting and creative ways.

Athletes: spectators and spectacle

If Istanbul is elected host city, athletes will play a full part in our Opening Ceremony, as stars of the show and as spectators. For the first time ever, all 10,000 athletes will have reserved seats in the stand: no waiting time, no holding time and a full view of the celebrations guaranteed. Istanbul 2020 has developed a transport plan specifically for the ceremonies. Athletes will use an existing Bus Rapid Transit lane to ensure fast, reliable transit times and keep disruption to athletes’ preparation schedules to an absolute minimum.

City-wide activation

Istanbul 2020 would take the concept of city activation to another level. A series of live sites have already been identified on both the European and Asian sides of the city, with a combined capacity of half a million spectators. They would be fully integrated with the celebrations inside the stadium via live video link-up, complementary performances, light shows, fireworks displays and a direct view of the Bosphorus Stadium. Together, the 500,000 on the banks of the Bosphorus and the 70,000 in the stadium – including 10,000 athletes – would create the largest live audience in Olympic history.

A global audience captivated

Like the rest of Istanbul 2020’s Games concept, the ceremonies have been carefully formulated to maximise the visual impact of the city’s stunning natural and architectural beauty. As well as the main IBC/MPC in the Olympic Park, a supplementary broadcasting hub will be positioned in the heart of Istanbul’s historic centre, looking out over the Bosphorus towards the Asian side of the city and the Bosphorus Stadium. Istanbul 2020 can guarantee cinematic moments of Olympic history that capture the imagination of a global audience of billions.

A transformative impact on the city

The Bosphorus Stadium and the rest of the Port Cluster fit perfectly with the government’s long-term vision for the development of the city, as part of Istanbul’s most exciting regeneration project – one to rival Barcelona’s opening up the Mediterranean coast for the 1992 Games. Just like Barcelona, the redevelopment of Haydarpasa Port will reclaim the waterfront for the people of Istanbul, transforming an outdated industrial area into a state-of-the-art, 58-hectare sports, leisure and entertainment complex. The complex will feature parks, plazas and promenades, cafés, remediated green spaces and a breakwater walkway. The Bosphorus Stadium itself will have its capacity reduced to around 20,000 and will become a much needed entertainment venue. This visionary project is already underway, but hosting the Games would accelerate it dramatically and unlock billions of investment dollars through redevelopment and privatisation – enough, in fact, to pay for the entire cost of Games sports infrastructure.

For more information contact: media@istanbul2020.com.tr

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