Istanbul 2020 Unveils Bid Logo

(ATR) The Prime Minister of Turkey unveiled the logo for the Istanbul 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unveiled the logo on Sunday as he sent off Turkey's Olympians to London 2012. Erdoğan will also travel to London for the Games to further support the bid committee in their efforts.

"As a Government, we are very involved in promoting and supporting the Istanbul 2020 Bid. Turkey has the ambition, potential and infrastructure required to host the 2020 Games" he said.

The logo was the result of a vote by the people of Turkey – they opted to have the flower of Istanbul, a tulip, in the design mixed with the skyline of the city.

Specifically, the logo depicts one of the Bosphorus bridges in Istanbul that connects Europe and Asia. Istanbul 2020 would be the first Olympic Games to take place across two continents.

Bid leader, Hasan Arat, said in a statement what he believes the logo symbolizes in showcasing the city to host the Games.

"A vibrant and young nation, a bridge between Europe and Asia, a modern and spectacular setting steeped in history– these are the ideas we wanted the Istanbul 2020 Candidate City logo to represent and our people have not let us down with their vote."

"Our new logo has been chosen by Turkey’s young population to act as a symbol of inspiration for our Olympic dream."

Istanbul is bidding alongside Madrid and Tokyo to host the Games. Adecisionwill come at the 2013 IOC Session in Buenos Aires.

Written by Christian Radnedge

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