Erzurum Wades Into Olympic Bidding

(ATR) Turkey’s first bid for a Winter Olympics comes from an eastern outpost without direct international flights.

Over the next week Around the Rings will look at the seven declared interested 2026 Olympic bidders to give a snap analysis of the potential candidature cities. The IOC is embarking on a bidding process called the "New Norm," which it says will cut the cost of bidding and ensure a stronger Olympic Games.

Over the coming months the IOC will assess each bid before announcing in October which ones will make the cut and move on to the candidature phase. The 2026 Winter Olympics host will be decided at the IOC Session in Milan, Italy in September 2019.

Erzurum, located in the northeast corner of the Turkish peninsula,

has a population is just over 360,000 with the province’s population estimated at 760,000.

This is the first time Turkey is bidding for a Winter Games. The country has bid for the Summer Olympics five times, all efforts by Istanbul. The city made it to the final round of voting for the 2020 Olympics, ultimately losing to Tokyo.

News of the bid first came from local press in Erzurum late last week, just before the March 31 deadline to join in the process. At that time, IOC Vice President Ugur Erdner confirmed the bid to ATR. Erdner remains an influential voice in the IOC, and was heavily involved in deciding a solution to the Russian doping crisis.

Erzurum will draw from its hosting of the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival for its Olympic bid. By declaring interest in hosting the 2026 Games, "the IOC will [now] send teams of technical experts to Erzurum to help the city develop its candidature," according to a release.

Compared to the six other host countries declaring interest, Erzurum’s bid suffers from a lack of comparable Olympic experience. Turkey is yet to host an Olympic Games or any other continental level multi-sport event. The city’s proximity to ongoing security crises in Syria and the Middle East could cause concern in some minds.

ATR understands that the bid is being driven at the municipal level in Erzurum, with the Turkish Olympic Committee obliging. Requests for an interview with the Erzurum mayor by ATR were declined.

Transport to a potential Erzurum Olympics looks to be a challenge that will need to be addressed before and during the candidature phase. The city has a regional airport that serves Turkey’s major cities including Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir. Except for special occasions, the city’s airport does not handle international flights.

Erzurum will now continue in the dialogue phase with Calgary, Canada; Graz, Austria; Milan/Turin/Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy; Sapporo, Japan; Sion, Switzerland; and Stockholm, Sweden.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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