Following a three-day visit to the London 2012 Games, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged in a televised national address to redouble the National Government’s backing of Istanbul’s 2020 Summer Olympic Games bid.
During his visit to the Games the Prime Minister attended several sports events, the Opening Ceremony, and met with several influential people in the Olympic Movement, including International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge. He told Rogge, “I have always had the Olympic flame in my heart. My dream is to have it in my hands”.
Erdogan said in his address, “every year Turkey’s profile increases as a host of international sports events and as a nation able to achieve success on the international state, the number of athletes we have brought to London 2012 represents the next big step forward in this journey.
“This is our fifth bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but this time we are better placed than ever before to succeed. The Games in Istanbul would surely be one of the most spectacular in Olympic history and Turkey would use the light of the Olympic flame as a symbol of peace in the region. I believe that as long as Turkey’s economy remains strong, as long as our nation continues to champion democracy, and as long (as) cities like Istanbul continue to grow and advance, then we can reach the national goal of hosting an unforgettable 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
