The game of predictions has never been easy in the race for the Olympic Games. But four months, just one day away, from the IOC vote for the host city of the 2020 Olympics, the tide seems to be turning in favor of Istanbul. A breeze still light, but sensitive enough to carry with it a handful of illusions.
At the start of the week, two signs confirmed the trend. The first comes from FIFA, an external player but very much listened to by the Olympic world. Sepp Blatter, its president, was visiting Ankara, where he was received by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During the conversation, a subject was broached, the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, scheduled for Turkey from June 21 to July 13, 2013. The political leader praised its assets and organization. The boss of world football thanked him and assured that he believed him. Above all, Sepp Blatter established a direct relationship between this global event and Istanbul's candidacy for the 2020 Games. With this argument: “This is the first FIFA competition in Turkey and our expectations are very high. We are convinced that the event will be extraordinary. I encouraged the Prime Minister to ensure that Turkey uses the U-20 World Cup as an international showcase for Istanbul’s bid for the 2020 Games.”
Would Sepp Blatter be a supporter of Turkey in the race for the Olympics? Difficult to decide. But Istanbul's candidacy can welcome the words of the FIFA president, also a member of the IOC.
Another sign, this time coming from Tokyo: the warning from the leaders of the Japanese Olympic movement against “communication errors. » Tsunekazu Takeda, the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, strongly recommended that his colleagues be careful with their words in the coming months. “I encourage you to respect the rules of the candidacy to the letter and to prevent such an incident from happening again,” insisted the Asian leader, in reference to the verbal slippage of the Governor of Tokyo, Naoki Inose, in a recent interview granted At New York Times. The politician notably criticized Muslim countries and made irony about the youth of the Turkish population.
Chiharu Igaya, the former vice-president of the IOC (he has been an honorary member since 2012), hit the nail on the head. “Politics and religion are delicate subjects,” assured the ex-skier. The 115 members of the IOC probably represent 115 different ways of thinking on these issues. It is now up to us to do our best to ensure that something positive comes out of this disaster. »
In Tokyo, we watch his words, fearing for what happens next. In Istanbul, we rub our hands. But what is Madrid actually doing?
