Istanbul to host International Sports Summit

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Hürriyet photo

Istanbul is preparing to host the International Sports Summit on March 1 in an event that is labeled the “first step” toward Istanbul’s bid for the 2020 Olympics.

The event will be attended by Turkey’s European Union Minister Egemen Barış and Youth and Sports Minister Suat Kılıç, as well as former London Mayor Ken Livingstone and VisitBritain Olympic Journey representative Sandie Dawe.

The summit aims to introduce Istanbul, an ambitious candidate for the 2020 Olympic Games, and talk about the socio-economic contributions that would come from hosting the Olympics. The first of its kind, the International Summit will become an annual event in the near future, according to the official statement.

Hosting a series of prominent speakers, from football coach Fatih Terim to representatives of Turkish and Brazilian Olympics committees, panels at the event will focus on the economics of the Olympics, violence in sports events, the notion of fair play and the forming of brands in sports.

Journalists from Germany, Japan and Switzerland will also attend the summit.