ISTANBUL 2020: Visa system faces scrutiny for sake of Olympic friendship
March 26, 2013
By Keir Radnedge in Istanbul
When Galatasaray fans once paraded a banner telling visiting supporters: “Welcome to hell,” they might also have had the visa procedure at Ataturk airport in mind.
This is one of the great irritations for visitors as they stumble off their planes and one which will be subject to study by the Turkish authorities if Istanbul wins host rights to the 2020 Olympic Games.
The visa process comprises variable charges and queues then further delays at passport inspection desks where staff invariably struggle, time-consumingly, to find the relevant visa stamp.
Russia has proposed that, for visiting fans for the World Cup finals in 2018, the ticket will also serve as visa but the relevant Turkish authorities are not that far forward in their thinking.
‘Olympic family’ members – athletes, officials and media – will enjoy the standard visa-waiver system which is incorporated among guarantees in the IOC hosting contract.
International complication
For Olympic fans a solution remains as firmly suspended as the Bosphorus bridge according to Omer Celik, the Culture and Tourism Minister who addressed the IOC evaluation commission today on accommodation issues.
He told a press conference: “The visa issue relates to policies between countries. We don’t have any declared strategy yet but we would hope to have a more fluid process with additional measure.
“We haven’t decided on any clear strategy but there will not be any red tape. We will make sure of that.”
Istanbul welcomed 9m visitors last year and Feza Solaklar, OCOG head of accommodation, said the city boasted 100,000 rooms from five-star hotels to university dormitories.
Keir Radnedge has been covering football worldwide for more than 40 years, writing 33 books, from tournament guides to comprehensive encyclopedias, aimed at all ages.
His journalism career included The Daily Mail for 20 years as well as The Guardian and other national newspapers and magazines in the UK and around the world. He is a former editor, and remains a lead columnist, with World Soccer, generally recognised as the premier English language magazine on global football.
In addition to his writing, Keir has been a regular analyst for BBC radio and television, Sky Sports, Sky News, Aljazeera and CNN.
Keir Radnedge’s Twitter: @KeirRadnedge
Keir Radnedge’s 