Istanbul; 04 February 2013: The tender to build the world’s largest airport in Istanbul has been officially opened, reinforcing Istanbul 2020’s promise of quick, comfortable and convenient transport solutions for all athletes, and the wider Olympic family, should Turkey have the honour of being awarded its first ever Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020.
The Olympic family can be assured of finding a fully modernised, connected city when they arrive at Istanbul’s new third airport - which will have six runways and an annual passenger capacity of 150 million by 2020. The first phase of construction is due to be completed in just three and half years and is one of five major infrastructure projects taking place in the city as part of Turkey’s 2023 Master Plan – the nationwide programme of long-term development.
Hasan Arat, leader of the Istanbul 2020 bid, said:
"The Istanbul 2020 team has continued to learn from our previous four bids; we have listened carefully to the Olympic family and we have extensively studied the successes of London 2012 and other host cities. We recognise that effective and efficient transport is critical for a successful Games - starting with a world class airport. The tender opening this week means that we have passed another milestone on our journey; we will continue to work hard to ensure that our ground-breaking transport initiatives will benefit Olympians, Paralympians and the wider Olympic family. Just as importantly, Istanbul 2020 would leave a valuable legacy for citizens and guests by making the city one of the most liveable and accessible in the world."
Istanbul 2020 promises to be an exceptional Games-time experience by fully drawing on the $1.5 billion average annual investment in transport infrastructure upgrades since 2005 and a further $15 billion to be spent on projects over the next three years. These projects will significantly reduce congestion and speed up all journey times for Olympic client groups. Istanbul 2020 has uniquely proposed hosting the Games in two continents; the Haliç Metro bridge, the Marmaray rail tunnel, the Eurasia Bosphorus road tunnel and a third Bosphorus bridge will all be completed before 2020, increasing the number of Bosphorus road and rail crossings to six.
IOC member and President of the NOC of Turkey, Ugur Erdener, commented:
"As a President of an NOC and an International Federation, I am focussed on the comfort and convenience of the athletes. I am more than confident that this carefully directed investment in Istanbul’s transport infrastructure will enhance our ability to deliver a technically outstanding Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. Our proposed four competition zones across two continents have been selected to highlight Istanbul’s unique location, bridging Europe and Asia, as well as to guarantee athletes an average travel time of just 16 minutes between our iconic venues."
The winning tender for Istanbul’s third airport will be named in May.
For more information contact: media@istanbul2020.com.tr
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