ISTANBUL — Istanbul announced Tuesday it will bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, in an attempt to become the first Muslim majority nation to hold the quadrennial event.
The attempt, the Turkish city’s fifth, comes after it lost to Tokyo in the competition to hold the 2020 Games. In 2013, International Olympic Committee chose the Japanese capital over Istanbul in a second ballot, after Madrid was eliminated in the first round
The delayed Tokyo Olympics will open on July 23. The 2024 edition will be held in Paris, while Los Angeles will host the 2028 Games. The Australian city of Brisbane is expected to be announced as the venue for the 2032 event at a meeting in Tokyo next week.
“To make sure Istanbul get its deserved place on the world sports map, we are focusing on the biggest target,” Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu told reporters. “We put forward our will and in the name of Istanbul and Turkish people, we want [to hold] the Olympics and Paralympic Games in Istanbul.”
Underscoring that Istanbul has learned a lot from previous bids, Imamoglu said the megacity of 15 million people has progressed a lot in terms of transportation and sports infrastructure.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously said the British capital may seek to host the 2036 or 2040 Games. India’s Ahmedabad is also reportedly exploring to bid for 2036.
Imamoglu, a member of Turkey’s center-left main opposition party, beat President Tayyip Recep Erdogan key ally, former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, in 2019 to become mayor, ending the 25 year-long rule of religiously conservative political parties in Istanbul.
Although, his tenure will end in 2024, Imamoglu’s name is being circulated as a top contender to challenge Erdogan in the 2023 presidential election. Multiple polls put Imamoglu ahead of the president in a potential race.
It is not yet known, whether Erdogan administration will endorse the Istanbul bid for 2036.