"You feel different.

"The minutes of travel between Europe and Asia will be compensated for by the lifetime of memories that will be created.

"That gives the IOC a unique opportunity, something people will have never before experienced.

"We are very confident with the transport.

"Our Government knows what Istanbul needs, which is why they are spending so much money [on transport]."

This is the fifth time out of the last Olympics that Istanbul have bid for and this is the best Evaluation Report that they have received.

Istanbul 2020 leader Hasan Arat remains confident about their campaign despite recent problems, including the nationwide riots which started in the city

"To receive such a report everyone in Turkey is thrilled," said Arat.

"It shows how far we have travelled in such a short time.

"The most imortant thing for us is that the quality of all three candidate cities are ranked of high quality.

"That means Istanbul did very well and we are happy with the report.

"It shows that the IOC have confidence between the Government and TOKI and that all the facilities will be completed on time and would meet the Games requriements.

"We are so happy that they recognised our legacy plan, that is very important."

The reputation of TOKI, the Housing Development Administration of Turkey, who are responsible for overseeing the Government's major development plans, has been enhanced by the success of the Mediterranean Games, which opened in Mersin last Thursday (June 20). 

They were behind the drive to have the city ready in only two years when Mersin were awarded the Games in March 2011 after the original host, Volos, dropped out due to the Greek economic crisis.

Turkey's basketball team celebrate winning the gold medal at Mersin 2013

"The delivery of Mersin 2013's robust Games platform in such a comparatively short time has rightly drawn much praise from the media and the Olympic Family as well as fans and athletes here in Mersin," said Uğur Erdener, President of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey (NOCT). 

Muhammed Adak, Deputy General Coordinator of the Mediterranean Games, has already declared the Games a success, ahead of the official Closing Ceremony on Sunday (June 30).

"The number of spectators is good," he said.

"As an Organising Committee we are very happy about this.

"We lowered the price of tickets because there has been a large investment in facilities and we wanted to make sure people come and see them and to instil a sports mentality amongst the city's youth.

"These Games are about Olympism and sharing a sports vision with the Mediterranean people.

"We've installed high-quality venues with great technology and this will benefit the city for years - the Athletes' Village for example will be a university dormitory for 3,500 people after the Games."

Impressive crowds have helped make Mersin 2013 a success, despite the short notice that Turkey had to prepare after the original host, Volos in Greece, withdrew

Erdener is impressed by the level of the crowds.

"Naturally they have had much less time to publicise these Games than normal but I have seen stadia at full capacity with fans turning out to watch Turkish and foreign athletes alike," he said. 

"The athletes here have access to top-quality facilities to help them reach their personal best and their superb performances are adding to the excitement for all fans.

"The Turkish Government provided a significant budget for these Games compared with previous editions and this shows how committed Turkey is to organising first-class events and to hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"Mersin will prove to be an excellent template for Istanbul 2020, if our bid is victorious."

Istanbul had moved into the position of favourite, ahead of rivals Madrid and Tokyo, before the nationwide anti-Government riots started in the city at the end of last month.

They will be hoping to regain their momentum in Lausanne next Wednesday (July 3) when they give a presentation to more than 80 IOC members at the organisation's Extraordinary Session.

With calm seemingly having been restored to Istanbul, Arat and his team will be keen to emphasise the quality of their bid and the opportunities it offers the IOC. 

Istanbul 2020 enjoys more support than its rivals, Madrid and Tokyo with 83 per cent of the city's population backing the campaign

High on their agenda will be the public poll conducted by the IOC, which showed an impressive 83 per cent of people in Istanbul were behind the bid.

Arat does not believe that level of support will be affected by what has happened in the last month.

"The Games will really have a great impact to the Turkish nation, I am sure, but we are already united," he said.

"You may not see that picture from your side but we are talking about everything between each other.

"There is no problem."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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