The SportAccord convention will ultimately not take place this year. Planned in Istanbul from June 9 to 12, it was officially postponed to 2026 according to a press release published Wednesday. A large number of sports playersincluding international federations and IOC representatives, including Thomas Bach and Kirsty Coventry, were expected on site. The organization explains, " with a big disappointment », that following a "comprehensive assessment by the SportAccord Executive Committee, and in light of the evolving political context and unresolved issues at the host city level, it was concluded that the Convention could not proceed as planned ».
SportAccord refers to the « recent political developments in Istanbul » and more specifically to the arrest of Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu the 19 march. "Several fundamental conditions for the organization of the event could no longer be met », regret the organizers, especially since « all indicators pointed to a successful edition »This major sports event attracted 1.700 people to Birmingham last year. SportAccord is already working on planning the convention for 2026.
