Istanbul 2020 Olympic Games Bid Leaves 'Excellent Impression'

The IOC's evaluation commission head said that Istanbul's presentation of its bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games left an "excellent impression," according to Daren Butler of REUTERS. Turkey's largest city, which is competing with Tokyo and Madrid for the 2020 Games, presented its candidacy to the IOC commission, headed by IOC VP Craig Reedie, this week. Turkish officials highlight the bid as "offering the first opportunity for a secular Muslim democracy to host the Games," which would also be the first staged on two continents -- Europe and Asia. Keen to avoid indicating a preference for any of the three candidate cities, Reedie said, "Excellent impression in my world is exactly the same as 'hugely impressed' or 'greatly impressed'," referring to his comments about Tokyo and Madrid (REUTERS, 3/27).