US embassy cable - 03ISTANBUL1041

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 001041 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ECON, KOLY, TK, Istanbul 
SUBJECT: OLYMPIC GAMES: ISTANBUL 2012? 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: On June 15, Istanbul formally submitted its 
application to the International Olympic Committee to host 
the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.  8 other cities had also 
thrown their hats into the ring: London, Paris, New York, 
Madrid, Moscow, Leipzig, Havana, and Rio de Janeiro.  Despite 
the fierce competition and continuing friction with the 
Istanbul municipality, Istanbul Olympic officials believe 
that their 2012 bid (their fourth consecutive application) is 
their strongest to date and that Istanbul has a good chance 
to be chosen as one of the finalists. End Summary. 
 
 
2. (U) ALWAYS A RUNNER-UP?  Despite having lost bids to host 
the 2000, 2004, and 2008 games, Istanbul Olympic officials 
are optimistic about their prospects for hosting the 2012 
Summer Olympic Games.  Like other would-be Olympic hosts, 
Istanbul faced serious problems in its earlier bids regarding 
the lack of sufficient venues and experience hosting 
international competitions.  Although Istanbul was chosen as 
a finalist in 2008, Istanbul Olympic officials believe that 
political considerations made Beijing the odds-on favorite 
(in addition to the fact that the 2004 games would be in 
nearby Athens).  This time, however, Istanbul Olympic 
officials are hopeful that their bid will be one of the 
strongest. 
 
 
3. (U) THE MEETING OF CONTINENTS: Yalcin Aksoy, the General 
Director of the Preparation and Organization Council for the 
Istanbul Olympic Games, told us that Istanbul has two main 
advantages in its favor.  First, Istanbul is not merely a 
geographic link between Europe and Asia: historically, 
culturally, and ethnically it brings much of the world 
together.  The Council plays to this advantage with its 
slogan, "Istanbul: The Meeting of Continents."  Aksoy also 
noted that no Olympic games have ever been hosted by a 
predominantly Muslim city. 
 
 
4. (U) THE TURKISH OLYMPIC ACT: Next, Istanbul Olympic 
officials have a unique legislative instrument, the Turkish 
Olympic Act of May 1992, that guarantees the political 
support and resources needed to prepare for the Olympic 
Games.  Specifically, the Act (approved unanimously by the 
Turkish Parliament) provided for the creation of a permanent 
organization and staff to manage Istanbul's bids for the 
games.  Additionally, the Act devotes specific sources of 
revenue, including 5 percent of National Lottery proceeds and 
one percent shares of the Sports Lottery, horse-race betting 
ticket sales, and Istanbul Greater Municipality budget 
(totaling about USD 15-20 million each year). 
 
 
4. (U) WHITE ELEPHANTS?  As a result of this permanent staff 
(which Aksoy claimed is unique among cities bidding to host 
the Summer Games) and its financial resources, Istanbul has 
been able to overcome some of the problems it had with its 
early bids.  According to Aksoy, at the time of its first 
Olympic bid, Istanbul had only one of the 33 sports 
installations required to host the Summer Games.  Since then 
the Council has spent almost USD 200 million on 
installations, including an 80,000-seat Olympic stadium 
(costing USD 120 million), an Olympic Natatorium, and a 
20,000-seat gymnasium.  Plans are proceeding for an 
exhibition center and an Olympic Village.  The Council has 
also worked with local sports organizations to develop 
experience in hosting international events, including recent 
European diving and basketball championships.  Aksoy argued 
that given Istanbul's size and the local demand for sport, 
these venues will not be unused "white elephants."  Istanbul 
will not build baseball stadiums or field hockey pitches 
until it wins its bid for the games, Aksoy said. 
 
 
5. (U) TRANSPORTATION WOES AND THE CURSE OF OBSCURITY: 
Istanbul's main disadvantage is its weak transportation 
infrastructure and chronic traffic problems.  The city's 
unsuccessful efforts to develop transportation networks to 
service the rapidly growing population would be a major 
problem in hosting an event as large as the Olympic Summer 
Games.  Additionally, unlike London, Paris, and New York, 
Istanbul is not as well known among the members of the 
International Olympic Committee (IOC).  But new restrictions 
imposed after the Salt Lake City scandals that prohibit IOC 
members from visiting competing cities virtually guarantees 
that most IOC members will have to vote on Istanbul's bid 
without really knowing the city.  Aksoy worries that their 
unfamiliarity and misguided impressions may imperil 
Istanbul's Olympic aspirations. 
 
 
6. (SBU) FRICTION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNCIL: Another 
disadvantage, largely downplayed by Aksoy, is the friction 
between the Preparation and Organization Council and the 
Istanbul Greater Municipality.  Although the Istanbul Mayor 
is one of the 13 Board Members of the Council, the 
legislative requirement that the city hand over one percent 
of its budget to the Council has generated significant 
tensions.  Much of the recent tension has focused on the 
issue of transportation.  Aksoy admitted that the Olympic 
Stadium's debut event last summer (a soccer match between 
former UEFA and perennial Turkish Champions Galatasaray and 
Greece's Olympiakos) was a "catastrophe" due to the lack of 
sufficient roads (Note: Local newspapers and soccer fans 
described the traffic into and out of the stadium as worse 
than Dante's Inferno).  Due to the city's refusal to build 
new roads and despite the fact that the Council's revenues 
are not supposed to be used for transportation 
infrastructure, the Council finally agreed last month to let 
the city use a portion of its annual dues to finish the USD 
10 million stadium access roads (just in time for Galatasaray 
to use the stadium for the 2003-2004 season while their own 
stadium is renovated). 
ARNETT