The UK Minister for Sport and Tourism, Hugh Robertson, left Turkey Wednesday following a high-level UK trade mission which featured meetings with senior stakeholders behind Istanbul’s 2020 Olympic bid,
Robertson met with Turkey’s Sports Minister, Suat Kilic, and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and President of Turkey’s NOC, Ugur Erdener, in Ankara Tuesday before flying to Istanbul to meet with the Chairman of the Istanbul 2020 bid committee, Hasan Arat.
Suat Kilic said, “I attended the London 2012 Games which were of the highest standard. Turkey is also very ambitious to host major global sports events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. Therefore it is appropriate that we should welcome Minister Robertson and the delegation of expert UK companies to discuss how Turkey and the UK could collaborate in the future. The meeting have been very productive and I believe both sides have learnt a great deal.”
Robertson said, “this milestone trade mission comes at a time when contact between Turkey and the UK has never been stronger. These are extraordinarily exciting times for sport in Turkey. The Istanbul 2020 bid encapsulates this excitement, bringing together the city’s fantastic history in a country that showcases the best of Asia and the best of Europe. Therefore to have so much recent expertise from UK companies involved with London 2012 here in Turkey in one visit has been extremely valuable for both sides. Our experience in constructing and delivering great global events is at Turkey’s disposal”.
