The IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics starts in Istanbul Friday and ends March 11, highlighting some of the key assets that Istanbul would bring as host of the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Six hundred and eighty three registered athletes from a record 172 countries are participating, and there will be more than 300 international media and 22,000 fans attending.
Suat Kilic, Turkey’s Minister of Youth and Sports said, “hosting international sports events such a these prestigious IAAF championships is a great honour for Turkey and Istanbul. It is also evidence of just how far Turkey has emerged in world sport. Staging these global events builds a vital bridge of experience and expertise on our journey to Turkey’s ultimate quest – to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games”.
Istanbul has increased its total hotel room inventory to approximately 63,000, which is forecast to grow to more than 96,000 by Games-time. An average of USD 1.2 billion has been spent on transport infrastructure improvements since 2004, and a further USD 7.5 billion will go towards developing Games transportation infrastructure over the next seven years.
