A group of Israel’s Knesset members has launched an international campaign to prevent Istanbul from bidding to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
The group, led by Deputy Knesset Speaker Danny Danon, began their campaign in August before Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and suspended its defence ties with the country, reports ynetnews.com.
Danon has met with parliament members from several countries, including from the United States and Europe, and asked them to join the campaign to convince their countries’ representatives in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to vote for Istanbul.
He also sent a letter to IOC head Jacques Rogge which read, “the Olympic Games, which constitute a cultural lighthouse of values, cannot be held in a country whose values contradict everything the Olympic Games stand for. The support for terror and the ties with Iran are only the tip of the iceberg of Turkey’s actions. Its entire policy contradicts the cultural values expressed in the Olympic framework. Letting Turkey host the Olympics will stain the reputation of the Western world in general and the Olympic Movement in particular”.
Baku, Doha, Madrid, Rome and Tokyo are also bidding to host the 2020 Games.
