Olympics in Istanbul?

I was walking though the main square in our neighborhood when I looked up at the giant, outdoor TV to see wrestler Riza Kayaalp has won the bronze on the 11th day of the London Olympics. The first Turk to win a medal this year, despite the nation having 117 athletes in a variety of sports.

When London's games come to a close, they pass the IOC privilege to Brazil. It will be the first time for the South American nation and spot light more than just Carnival in Rio de Janerio. However, who will Brazil pass the torch to next? The IOC has yet to decide. 

The bid is between Tokyo, Madrid and of course, Istanbul. It will not be known for sure until September 7th, 2013, however currently Tokyo and Istanbul almost neck and neck, with Madrid squeezing its self into 2nd or 3rd place, depending on which poll you look at. 

Does Istanbul stand a chance? 

We already have Olympic approved sporting venues built or newly renovated from the Türk Telecom Arena to the appropriately named Atatürk Olympic Stadium (just a 20 minute walk from my house), with 3 UEFA Elite Stadiums and so many more. Numerous world sporting events have been held here and multiple marathons take place throughout the year. 

The city also has the capacity to host the population that the Olympics brings with it, with a capacity of over 10 million. With 798 already registered hotels, an additional 51 high capacity hotels will be added. The two airports already handle large amounts of traffic and a third airport in the process of approval.

Its also about politics. The Olympics have never been held in a Muslim country before and if the IOC is going to continue a streak of trying something fresh, Istanbul has a bigger advantage over Tokyo and Madrid in that sense. Not to mention, both Japan('64) and Spain ('92) have held the Olympics before. Tokyo is currently minimally ahead of  Istanbul at the moment for a different reason, somewhat due to the damaging earthquake and tsunami last year. Hosting this world event could generate a significant amount of money and pride for a nation suffering from a sort of post traumatic stress.

Turkey's economy is also booming and if Erdoğan can keep it up, our chances look better. However, poor, broke Spain is in need of a boost and they've been so triumphant recently in so many events that 90% of surveyed Spaniards believe it can help their ailing economy, bringing in more than $2bln. Only time will tell.

Baku, Azerbaijan and Doha, Qatar also bid, but are both significantly behind the top 3.

Sure, Istanbul is an already crowded city that will only be more densely packed for the summer of 2020, but it may be a good time to rent out our flat for an exorbitant price to some tourists given our location and we go on vacation, someplace quiet with the profits. Kidding. kinda. 

All that being said, I am not much of an Olympic fan. Never have. I don't get into the hype really and O is the only one interested in it and with him at the office, the TV gets no action during the day from me. Because I was bed ridden with his flu this weekend, I watched the Velodrome. That I actually enjoyed. It reminds me of the Hunger Games the way 18 riders start off the together and one by one they get picked off. Ruthless!