Istanbul Wins Public Support Contest
New polling by the IOC confirms public support for a 2020 Olympic bid is highest in Istanbul of the three cities in the race.
According to figures released by the bid, the IOC survey conducted earlier this year pegs support in Istanbul at 83 percent and 76 percent nationwide.
Support in Madrid was revealed last week to be 76 percent, while the figure for Tokyo is 70 percent.
As it did in the other two cities, the IOC gave its polling results to Istanbul during the bid presentation to the IOC Evaluation Commission on the theme of government and public support. The commission is halfway through its four-day visit to Istanbul.
The results were disclosed almost as an afterthought when Sports Minister Suat Kilic remembered to give them after he ended a press conference announcing a new slogan for the bid.
Unlike Madrid or Tokyo bid leaders, Kilic did not elaborate or boast about the figures.
Bosphorus Imagery for New Slogan
It fell to Kilic to unveil the new Istanbul slogan to the media, a day after it was said to have been told to the IOC Evaluation Commission.
"Bridge Together" is the new tag line, reflecting the great influence the symbolism of the Bophorus has on the Istanbul bid. "Bridging Continents" was a slogan used by a previous bid.
In a handout from Istanbul 2020, variations on the slogan appear, such as "Bridge to Excellence" and "Bridge to a New Culture", so expect to hear more about bridges in the coming months when it’s Istanbul’s turn to speak.
Just for reference, Madrid’s slogan is "Illuminate the Future" while Tokyo says "Discover Tomorrow."
Carl Lewis Backs Tokyo 2020
Olympic legend Carl Lewis says he thinks Tokyo would host a "tremendous" Olympics in 2020.
"I’m all for progress," he said. I believe in high-technology, I believe in state-of-the art new stadiums for people. It makes it more comfortable, and leads to improved performances by the athletes. Japan has always been a very high-tech community and I think it will be a showcase for a stadium probably more high-tech than any stadium that’s ever been made. I think it will be a great place to be.
Lewis, who won 10 Olympic medals with nine gold, was in Japan over the weekend visiting citizens in the earthquake-struck northeast region of Japan.
He added he will attend the 2020 Olympics wherever they are but "I hope it’s here," he noted.
Written by Ed Hula.
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