ANKARA – Istanbul has lost out to Tokyo at the final voting by International Olympic Committee convened in Argentinian capital Buenos Aires to decide the city to host 2020 Olympics.
In the first round of voting, Istanbul’s hopes were kept alive when there was a tie between Istanbul and Madrid with 26 votes each. Istanbul joined Tokyo for the final voting after a second voting was held between Istanbul and Madrid. Turkey with 49 votes to 45 reached the final at the second voting against Madrid.
In the final round of voting Istanbul received 36 votes, not enough to beat Tokyo that had 60 votes of the delegates.
Istanbul had become one of the three candidate countries to host 2020 Olympics together with Madrid and Tokyo when the IOC ruled out the candidacy of Doha and Baku, and Rome recessed in Quebec, Canada on 24 May 2012.
Istanbul applied to host the greatest sports event in the planet four times before in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. Should Istanbul had won the final voting, it would be the first democratic Muslim country that is located on two continents, Europe and Asia, to host the Olympics.
Tokyo, a city that hosted the games in 1964, is now the official host of 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
