Bid Organizers Say Turkey Protest Will Not Affect Istanbul's 2020 Olympic Bid

Olympic bid leaders said on Wednesday that violent protests that have hit Turkey over recent days need to end swiftly, "but will have no bearing on Istanbul's candidacy to host the 2020 Olympics," according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. Turkey is also scheduled to host the U20 football World Cup, starting on June 21, and the sport's world governing body FIFA said that "the tournament would go ahead as planned." Bid officials said in a statement, "The feedback Istanbul 2020 has received from IOC members and the wider Olympic family continues to be positive and very understanding. While they are obviously as keen as we are for a swift and peaceful resolution, the majority of people we have spoken to recognise that 2020 is still seven years away." Bid cities are due to attend a meeting of national Olympic Committees in Lausanne, Switzerland later this week with Istanbul planning to offer "assurances" there (REUTERS, 6/12).