Lausanne: The Istanbul 2020 Bid Committee leaves Lausanne today full of optimism, with a productive stay in the Olympic Capital the ideal kick-start for an intensive two months of campaigning before September’s "Olympic Final" in Buenos Aires.
On Wednesday, the leader of the Istanbul 2020 delegation, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, used the 2020 Candidate Cities Briefing to IOC members to highlight how Turkey’s decade of economic, social and political transformation had enhanced the nation’s delivery capability. The Istanbul 2020 presentation team also drew attention to the profound impact Turkey’s first Games would have on the region’s huge youth population.
On Thursday, Istanbul 2020’s presentation booth gave visitors an immersive 3D experience of the bid’s Games Master Plan, transport concept and venues, using state-of-the-art Mixed Reality Interface tables to demonstrate how purpose-built venue clusters would be woven into the fabric of the iconic city. The presentation booth was also a forum for members of the Olympic Family and the media to meet the leaders of some of Turkey’s biggest international corporations. Ali Koç of Koç Holding, Ferit Şahenk of Doğuş Holding and Temel Kotil of Turkish Airlines were in Lausanne to underline the unequivocal support Istanbul 2020 enjoys from Turkey’s thriving private sector. The trio make up three of the seven Istanbul 2020 Sponsors, who together have contributed $20 million to Istanbul 2020’s campaign – representing the largest private-sector investment in any sports bid in Turkish history.
Hasan Arat, Istanbul 2020 Chairman, said:
"This week has been a fantastic experience for me and my team. I think we gave a compelling explanation of our vision for the 2020 Games and, most importantly, what the Games could achieve for the 31 million young people in Turkey and hundreds of millions more in the region and across the Olympic Movement. We also gave the Olympic Family some strong assurances about our ability to deliver this vision without risk.
"The positive responses and insightful feedback we have received has given us a big boost at a crucial moment. On Monday, we kick off the next phase of our campaign and begin building towards our own Olympic Final in Buenos Aires on 7 September."
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