Deputy PM Ali Babacan to Lead Istanbul 2020 Delegation

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan to present to the IOC in Lausanne

Istanbul; 28 June 2013: The Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey for Economic and Financial Affairs, Ali Babacan, will lead Istanbul 2020’s high-level delegation at the 2020 Candidate Cities Briefing for IOC members in Lausanne on 3 July, as Istanbul significantly steps up its campaign to host Turkey’s first ever Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan is a Founding Member and Board Member of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and has played a critical role in Turkey’s 20-year desire to host the Games. Joining him amongst the Istanbul 2020 delegation will be: the Minister for Youth and Sport, Suat Kiliç; IOC member and President of the Turkish National Olympic Committee, Professor Uğur Erdener; Istanbul 2020 Bid Chairman, Hasan Arat; and TOKİ President, Ahmet Haluk Karabel.

Speaking ahead of the IOC presentation, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said:

"It is a huge honour to be representing Turkey and presenting our Olympic ambition to the IOC at such a critical time in the bid’s campaign. We will go to Lausanne full of optimism following the publication of the IOC 2020 Evaluation Commission Report. This Report clearly positioned Istanbul 2020 as a bid of ‘high quality’, which offers the Olympic Movement a ‘unique’ Games.

"Turkey’s desire to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games has never been stronger. The bid enjoys full cross-party support, the support of all our major corporations and most importantly, the support of 90% of the Turkish public.

"This is Turkey’s fifth bid since the enactment of our Olympic Law in 1992; but this time is different. This time, our desire is matched by capacity and we look forward to explaining this to the IOC next week in Lausanne. Over the last seven years we have hosted over 40 major international events and we have shown that Turkey is ready to host a technically excellent Games."

Over the last 10 years, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan has served as the Minister of Treasury; Chief Negotiator in Turkey’s accession negotiations with the European Union; Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of Finance and Economy. He is now looking ahead to the next ten years, as the government and all political parties move towards a vision for a New Turkey. Istanbul’s Olympic and Paralympic bid is a key element of this vision and is aligned perfectly with Turkey’s 2023 Master Plan.

Completing the Istanbul 2020 delegation in Lausanne are: Istanbul 2020 Ambassador, Atılay Ersan; CEO of Istanbul 2020, Ali Kiremitçioğlu; Istanbul 2020 Sports Director, Alp Berker; Istanbul 2020 Technical Director, Nejat Sarp; Olympian and Istanbul 2020 Ambassador, Neslihan Darnel; Paralympian and Istanbul 2020 Ambassador, Gizem Girişmen; and Turkey’s number one female tennis player, Çağla Büyükakçay.

Istanbul 2020 Bid Chairman, Hasan Arat, said:

"The 2020 Candidate Cities Briefing for IOC members is the first significant opportunity we have to outline Istanbul 2020’s unique Games Concept to the majority of the IOC members at the same time. We are therefore delighted that Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan is able to lead our team, as it is a statement of the full support that our bid enjoys from all levels of government and across all major political parties.

"The briefing is an incredibly important milestone for the bid and we are ready to explain our proposed special partnership with the Olympic Movement in great detail. What we are proposing is more than just seven weeks of Olympic and Paralympic celebration in seven years’ time: we are proposing 70 years of an historic impact in a new region and a new culture for the Olympic Movement."

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