Istanbul 2020 Olympic Bid Aims to Address Transport Challenges

(ATR) Delivery of major transport infrastructure improvements is one of the biggest challenges facing Istanbul in its quest to land the 2020 Olympics, according to the Turkish bid's 170-page applicant file unveiled Thursday.

Turkish sports minister Suat Kılıç launched Istanbul 2020’s vision at a packed press conference in the city, promising full government support and a promise to maximise the Olympics potential to be a uniting force for the country.

In a city of 13.3 million people, the bid admits transport issues are its weak point.

"Although substantial, Istanbul’s current transport infrastructure and systems are below international benchmarks for other mega cities," the applicant file says.

"This will change by 2018, when the committed transport investment program is completed. Both road density and urban rail infrastructure will be significantly enhanced, resulting in improved mobility."

More than $6.6 billion worth of transport projects would be required as part of preparations for the Games. The government has guaranteed the financing of all infrastructure required for the Olympics.

Under Istanbul’s Integrated Urban Transport Master Plan, significant development of the city’s multi-modal transport network would be carried out over the next six years, "promoting the metro as the catalyst in transforming the city transport map".

Travel times for athletes between venues would depend on completion of a slew of transport projects.

Istanbul 2020's bid promotes a compact venue plan and claims "strong connectivity" to all clusters. But with a master plan comprising four venue zones, aligned with the city’s strategic development plan, the spread of venues represents one of the bid's more challenging aspects.

The applicant file says travel times to venues will be within 15 minutes for 50 percent of athletes, with 85 percent benefiting from travel times of less than 30 minutes and a maximum travel time of less than 50 minutes.

Of the 36 competition venues, 11 are in place, five requiring some permanent works. A further 10 are already planned to meet community and elite training requirements. There will be five temporary venues, with 10 additional permanent venues.

Istanbul Olympic Park Precinct will accommodate 10 venues and nine sports, including the Ataturk Olympic stadium which will be upgraded. These venues will be located within five minutes of the athletes' village that would be built directly adjacent to the park.

The total spend on construction and renovation of venues is projected at around $3.2 billion.

The bid offers the Olympic Movement the opportunity to stage an Olympic and Paralympics spanning two continents for the first time in history.

Under this vision, the bid says the Bosphorus Zone "will provide a majestic stage for the Games,bridging the European and Asian sides of the city. All seven venues in this zone will share the backdrop of the old city, spectacular mosques, historic sites and the Bosphorus itself".

Pre-empting questions on transport connections, the bid file adds: "The existing transport connections to both the European and Asian sides of the city by major urban arterial roads will be further enhanced by the Marmaray rail tunnel to be completed in 2013 and the Eurasia Tunnel Project due for completion in 2016."

Istanbul 2020 also revealed Thursday that it proposes staging the Games from Aug. 7 to Aug. 23 and the Paralympics from Sept. 5 ot Sept. 18. Average temperatures of 26.7 degrees would "ensure ideal conditions", according to the bid.

The bid anticipates no problems on the accommodation front, saying its current stock of more than 63,000 rooms "comfortably meets the requirement of 40,000 rooms... and is expected to exceed 96,000 rooms at Games-time".

Cruise ships could provide an alternative accommodation option for some Games clients, the bid says.

The bid budget forecast is $9 million for the application phase, including some candidature phase preparations. It proposes a budget of $44 million for the second phase of the bid contest, if Istanbul 2020 is selected as a finalist by the IOC in May.

Kılıç told the press conference today that the bid was a "national priority" and had the full, unequivocal support of the people of Turkey and every level of government.

"Already, 87 per cent of people in Istanbul have said they want to host Turkey’s first ever Games in 2020. Their passion is echoed by a government dedicated to making the nation’s Olympic dream a reality – from the president and prime minister, across opposition parties, right through to the municipal authorities," he said.

Ugur Erdener, IOC member and president of the Turkish NOC, and bid chief Hasan Arat, a vice president of the NOC, were also speakers at today's news conference.

Commenting on bid finance issues, Arat said the bid team was integrated with the existing Istanbul Olympic Games Preparation Committee overseen by an empowered Olympic Council.

"That means budget is already assigned, top-level leadership is in place and the experienced human capital is ready to be activated. This alignment ensures that, should we win the honor of hosting the Games, the IOC would be working with the people they have grown to know and trust during the application process," he said.

Arat added: "Istanbul is a city that is weaving state-of-the-art development around ancient monuments. For the last seven years, there has been an average spend of $1.2 billion on transport infrastructure upgrades in Istanbul," he added.

"With economic growth of 8.3 per cent in 2011, this trend of rapid development is set to continue. Now we offer the efficiency and convenience expected of every world-class city, set against a stunning backdrop which very few can match."

Baku, Doha, Madrid and Tokyo are the other cities vying for the 2020 Games.

The full Application File can be found online at: http://www.istanbul2020.com.tr/

Reported by Mark Bisson

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