Istanbul 2020: Africa’s Athletes will “Realise Olympic Dreams” in Turkey

Abidjan, look Ivory Coast; 10 July 2013: Istanbul 2020 will arrive in Abidjan tomorrow for the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) General Assembly, with a delegation featuring several senior government figures and a pledge to build on Turkey’s strong ties with Africa and help African NOCs fulfil their athletes’ full potential. Istanbul 2020’s 14-strong team travelling to the Ivory Coast will be led by Bid Committee Chairman Hasan Arat, and includes the President and the Secretary General of the Turkish NOC, Professor U?ur Erdener and Ne?e Gundo?an; and Istanbul 2020 CEO, Ali Kiremitçio?lu. Alongside the bid leadership will be two diplomats with extensive experience of forging productive ties between Turkey and Africa: former Ambassador of the Turkish Republic for Cameroon and advisor to the Istanbul 2020 Bid Committee, At?lay Ersan; and Ambassador of the Turkish Republic for Ivory Coast, Yalç?n Kaya Erensoy.

Speaking before travelling to Abidjan, Hasan Arat said: “Turkey’s diplomatic and business ties with Africa have never been stronger. But sport is our strongest connection of all. Istanbul is in a region that has never hosted the Games, just like Africa. We understand the challenges of African sport – and we understand the huge ambition of other nations that have not hosted the Games. In the city where the continents meet, Istanbul 2020 will meet that ambition and help connect Africa with the full power of the Olympic Movement.

“Istanbul 2020 is committed to providing the most comprehensive support package for National Olympic Committees and their teams. For the first time in Olympic history, every athlete from every nation will have access to a free-to-use Olympic Training Precinct and Recovery Centre on the same site as the Olympic Village. So in Istanbul, the sportsmen and women of Africa will have a better chance of realising their full potential than ever before – perhaps the best chance they will have until the Games comes to the continent.”

From the earliest planning stages, Istanbul 2020 has sought to minimise the cost and complexity NOCs have to bear at an Olympic Games. Given that athletes spend 80% of their time in the Village or at training venues, the Olympic Training Precinct and Athlete Recovery Centre are co-located with the single Olympic Village for all athletes, minimising precompetition travel.