Bidding for the Games - Turkey Welcomes Woods, McIlroy; Latest from Madrid, Tokyo

Tiger Woods Boosts Istanbul 2020

Turkey is pushing its Olympic hosting credentials this week as two of golf's biggest draws, Tiger Woods and Rory McILroy, competed against each other in the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final in Antalya.

Istanbul 2020 officials are using the event at the heart of Turkey's golfing Riviera to promote their bid.

With golf on the 2020 Olympic program, the Oct. 9 to 12 tournament is giving Turkey an early opportunity to prove its ability to organize world-class golfing events. It also underlines the rapid progress the sport has made in Turkey over the last five years.

Istanbul 2020 sponsor Turkish Airlines was instrumental in securing the golfing stars and organizing the tournament.Thousands of fans have attended the competition with several hundred million TV viewers watching around the world.

The Turkish bid tells Around the Rings that golf’s popularity is on the rise in the country. A total of 14 courses along the coastline around Antalya bring in more than $32 million a year to the local economy. The target is to hit $160.5 million annually.

The Istanbul 2020 applicant file submitted to the IOC earlier this year proposed that the golf course would be located in the Belgrade Forest Cluster. More details will be revealed in the bid book due with the IOC on Jan. 7.

Survey Says 8 of 10 Support Madrid 2020

Madrid 2020’s latest public opinion polling indicates stronger support within the Spanish capital – but a slight drop nationwide.

Eight out of 10 citizens in Madrid – or 80.2 percent – now back the Olympic dream, up two percentage points from an independent survey conducted earlier this year by the IOC.

"The figures prove that Madrid 2020’s Olympic Vision continues to be received positively as our citizens understand more of our plans, and the benefits – both sporting and economical – that a successful bid will deliver to our city, region and nation," Madrid 2020 president Alejandro Blaco said in a statement.

Spain as a whole, however, shows a decline in support from 81 to 79 percent.

According to the survey, people think the Games would bring more jobs to Spain but wouldn't necessarily fix the economy. About 46 percent said hosting the Olympics would not lead to a turnaround.

The random telephone survey of more than 2,000 Spaniards was conducted by Mediapost between Sept. 10 and 17.

Japan Celebrates Health and Sports Day

Tokyo 2020 is touting Japan’s annual Health and Sports Day as evidence of the city’s passion for sport.

More than 10,000 children and adults celebrated the occasion Monday at the Ajinomoto National Training Center with a festival organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Japanese Olympic Committee, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as well as many national federations.

A total of 77 Olympians and Paralympians stopped by to meet their fans and take part in the day of sport, observed since in 1966 as a legacy of Japan’s first Olympic Games two years earlier.

"Tokyo 1964 left a great legacy to Japan and Japanese people, and the Health and Sports Day is part of it," said Tsunekazu Takeda, IOC member and president of the Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee and the Japanese Olympic Committee."

"This day promotes sports and an active lifestyle to young people. That's why we want to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games again in Japan, to inspire a new generation with the Olympic Values and build a new legacy for the next 50 years."

Reported by Mark Bisson and Matthew Grayson

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.