The Associated Press reports that promoters of Istanbul bidding for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games “remain confident the Turkish people are united behind their campaign despite fierce anti-government protests around the country in recent days”.
Istanbul 2020 said in a statement “despite these recent events, all sections of Turkey remain united in our dream to host our nation’s first ever Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020”.
Bid organizers said they are monitoring the demonstrations in Istanbul “very carefully” and, while they’re buoyed by the “positive community spirit in helping to clean up and repair damage”, the situation remains fluid.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential candidate Denis Oswald said Monday that the protests “shouldn’t threaten the bid”. He said “I don’t think it would necessarily affect the candidature. We are still three months away from the decision. It will depend if this continues and develops, but for the time being I don’t think it’s a real threat for the candidature”.
