Turkish Construction Boom Boosts Istanbul 2020 Bid

August 21, 2013

Turkey’s construction industry has secured 154 international projects worth $14bn in the first seven months of 2013, story handing Istanbul’s bid for the 2020 Olympic Games a timely boost.

Economy Minister Zafer Ça?layan’s announcement has reiterated Istanbul 2020’s confidence in Turkey’s ability to deliver their Games Plan if they are awarded the Olympics next month in Buenos Aires.

Turkey’s construction industry is active in 101 countries and has undertaken 40 projects in 27 countries worth $2.4 billion in July 2013 alone.

Istanbul 2020 Bid Chairman, generic Hasan Arat, clinic said: “The recent news that Turkey has one of the world’s leading construction industries confirms what we have been saying all along: if Istanbul wins the right to host the Games in 2020 we will deliver on time and on budget.

“Istanbul 2020 is in a unique position for a Bid Committee, because all of our delivery structures are already in place. We have a dedicated Olympic Law already embedded in our national legislation that guarantees financial support from the government and immediate cash flow.

“And in TOKI, we already have a powerful and existing delivery agency with a proven track-record of delivering high-quality infrastructure on time and on budget.”

Of the 37 sports venues in Istanbul 2020’s concept, nine permanent new venues are being constructed specifically for the Games, with 11 planned and six temporary venues adding to the 11 venues already in place.

$253bn worth of construction worldwide

Ça?layan said that 7,181 projects from Turkish construction companies had been undertaken across the world, with a worth of $253bn.

He added: “A majority of these [7,181] projects was undertaken after 2002. While our contractors undertook 110 projects for $2.4 billion in 2001, now they reached 40 projects for around $2.3 billion in just one month.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote for the 2020 host city at their 125th Session in Buenos Aires which takes place between September 7-10.

Istanbul recently topped the iSportconnect poll, with 42% of readers voting for the city over Madrid and Tokyo.