Category: Sport

Britain Supports Istanbul’s Candidacy for Olympic Games in 2020

Britain supported on Thursday Istanbul’s candidacy to host olympic games to take place in 2020.

British Minister of Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson said Istanbul was an extremely attractive place for olympic games.

Robertson defined Istanbul as a more historical city when compared with many British cities, and an excellent international city where Europe and Asia intersected.

The International Olympic Committee should be convinced that Turkey could host olympic games, Robertson told AA correspondent in an exclusive interview.

Moreover, Paul Deighton, an executive of London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said he would like to watch olympic games in Istanbul one day.

Deighton defined Istanbul as a perfect venue to host olympic games as a city where the West and East intersected.

Besides Istanbul, Tokyo, Madrid, Doha and Baku have run candidacy to host 2020 Olympic Games. The venue of the event will be announced on September 7, 2013.

Thursday, 26 April 2012

A.A.

April 30, 2012
German decision not to bid for Euro 2020 spells bad news for Istanbul Olympic campaign

By Andrew Warshaw

Wolfgang Niersbach_27-04-12April 27 – Germany have pulled out of the race to stage the 2020 European Championships, a decision that once again impacts on Turkey and its bid to host the Olympics and Paralympics.

The German Football Association (DFB) made the decision after a meeting in Frankfurt at which it was felt the opportunity should go to other countries.

“The thoughts of welcoming the continent’s best teams and fans to Germany are very attractive, of course,” DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach (pictured above) said in a statement.

“But after staging the World Cup in 2006 and [the Women’s World Cup] in 2011, it is only fair to let other countries take on the role of hosts.”

The deadline for potential candidates for Euro 2020, the second to involve 24 teams after France 2016, is on May 15.

The DFB will now send an official letter to UEFA President Michel Platini confirming they will not be one of the candidates.

So far only Turkey has publicly expressed an interest in hosting Euro 2020, a stance many experts continue to believe will have a detrimental effect on Istanbul’s drive to stage the Olympics and Paralympics the same summer.

UEFA have stated that if no other candidates come forward, Turkey will be given the nod automatically.

Michel Platini_27-04-12

But Platini (pictured above) has made it abundantly clear that he does not take kindly to Turkey engaging in a juggling act in order to get one event or the other – and the Olympic hierarchy are understood to feel the same way.

Platini has also stressed that although Turkey is his emotional favourite – the country missed out by one vote for 2016 – he will cast his vote elsewhere if the country stubbornly pursues its two-pronged gamble.

The Olympics decision will be made first, in Buenos Aires, on September 7 next year; UEFA’s vote is not scheduled until the following December or January.

The increase to 24 European Championship finalists from the current 16 limits the number of countries who could stage it single-handedly.

Although they have made no firm move as yet, Azerbaijan and Georgia have indicated they are planning to file a joint bid.

Turkey’s next move could well depend on what happens in Quebec City next month when the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board decides whether or not to trim the five 2020 bidders for the final stage of campaigning.

Istanbul is currently up against Baku, Doha, Madrid and Tokyo and much could hinge on which way IOC officials are leaning.

Ultimately, in order not to rock the boat further, Turkey may end up being forced to pull out of Euro 2020 if the signals are that by abandoning their risky gamble and concentrating on the Government-backed Games, Istanbul would get greater support among IOC voters.

via German decision not to bid for Euro 2020 spells bad news for Istanbul Olympic campaign | 2020 Summer Olympics | insidethegames.biz.

April 28, 2012
2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four fan information

With the 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four set to begin on May 11, Euroleague Basketball is working on a daily basis to ensure that all ticket-holding fans enjoy the best possible environment throughout each and every game to be played at state-of-the-art Sinan Erdem Arena in beautiful Istanbul.

With the cooperation of the local authorities in Turkey, the Turkish Basketball Federation and Detur and the participating Final Four teams, a plan for making sure that fans can show their devotion to the fullest in a safe atmosphere is an absolute priority throughout the event.

To that end, Euroleague Basketball would like to communicate the following advice:

– The 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four is sold out. No more tickets are available. Fans should not travel to Istanbul without tickets or with the expectation of buying tickets there. Only legitimate ticket-holders will be allowed access to the arena vicinity.

– Official tickets only permit their holders to enter Sinan Erdem Arena once on Friday and once on Sunday. Ticket-holders will not be permitted to leave the arena and return. Ticket-reading machines at each entrance will only allow the same ticket to pass through the doors once for each day of games. As such, tickets that have entered Sinan Erdem Arena already and then leave the arena will not be valid for re-entry the same day.

– The Fans Code of Conduct will be strictly enforced at all Final Four games. Among its provisions, the code prohibits keys and coins to be brought into the arena. Ticket-holders should not bring either keys or coins to the games, as they will be required to forfeit both before entering the arena. The code also prohibits smoking inside the arena.

– Each qualified team’s fans will have a designated entrance door to Sinan Erdem Arena. Each team’s fans – as they identified themselves when purchasing their tickets – will be allowed to enter only through its designated door to the arena in order to avoid any incidents.

Euroleague Basketball and the participating clubs are committed to another Final Four that lets fans show the passion of European basketball by guaranteeing them a safe and secure environment in which to do so.

Friday, April 27, 2012

via 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four fan information – Main page – Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL.

April 28, 2012
UEFA congress begins in Istanbul

By IANS,

Istanbul : The 36th Congress of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) began in Istanbul Thursday with participation of representatives from 53 member associations.

GettyImagesUEFA president Michel Platini (L) shakes hands with European Club Association Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter, UEFA President Michel Platini and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are among those present at the meeting.

The congress will listen to reports of the UEFA President and the Executive Committee and Report of the UEFA Administration 2010/11, reports on the UEFA committees’ activities.

Also on the agenda are the annual UEFA statement of accounts for 2010/11 and discussion on the budget for the 2012/13 financial year, and European Social Dialogue: Approval of agreement on minimum player contract requirements.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a passionate football fan, spoke of the need for football to be a symbol of peace and friendship.

He urged continued work and investment to encourage as many young people as possible to become involved in sport, and called on sport to fight negative phenomena such as match-fixing and racism.

“I’d like to thank UEFA for coming back to Turkey and Istanbul. Turkey is a country which is in love with football and whose people contribute to football. We are building new facilities and are making our presence more noticeable,” he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Istanbul had hosted the 2005 UEFA Champions League final and 2009 UEFA Cup final in recent years, and Antalya will stage the UEFA European Women’s Under-19 Championship this summer. In addition, Turkey will stage the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Blatter highlighted the importance of UEFA to the world football movement. “Thank you to the UEFA Executive Committee and the UEFA President Michel Platini for the excellent relationship which exists between UEFA and FIFA,” he said. “Congratulations to Europe for all the efforts that you are making to ensure that the game remains a game.”

via UEFA congress begins in Istanbul | TwoCircles.net.

March 23, 2012
The Europa Race is confirmed ; legs : Istanbul – Barcelona – Lisbon – La Rochelle

The Europa Race will indeed set sail from Istanbul on 5 May 2012. Under threat for a while, in the face of the Franco-Turk diplomatic controversy, the race is finally going ahead thanks to the combined willingness of the organiser, Olay Nautic, and IMOCA who have made sure that everything is in place so that this essential meeting is honoured in the event schedule.

On 16 February 2012, Cumali Varer (Olay Nautic) confirmed that he was having difficulty guaranteeing the organisation of the Europa Race, following the Franco-Turk controversy relating to the matter in Armenia. With the Constitutional Council declaring the bill inadmissible, Cumali Varer got back in touch with the IMOCA class at the end of February, stating that he was once more in a position to organise this tour of Europe.

In the meantime, the IMOCA class didn’t stand idle. Indeed, convinced of the need to maintain this event, the class’ committee got in touch with all the different teams so as to offer them an alternative scheme. Sticking with the race was an obvious step forward on a sporting level, added to which it was important to respect the commitments made with the racers’ partners. The aim of providing a solution which was as close as possible to the initial dates is what drove the thinking within the IMOCA class.

A Europa Race with two formats

In the end there will be three legs on the programme for the Europa Race. The first, from Istanbul to Barcelona, will see the crews adapting to what are always changeable conditions in the Mediterranean. After that, the fleet will pass through the Strait of Gibraltar bound for Portugal. At that stage there will be a switch in format for the final leg, which will be run in solo configuration as far as La Rochelle, a course spanning some 2,500 miles or so. This objective fulfils all the criteria for both the class and the organiser: enabling the sailors to get the measure of each other in race mode and single-handed configuration, prior to the start of the next Vendée Globe.

An international vocation

The Europa Race is a fantastic opportunity to confirm the IMOCA class’ willingness for internationalisation. Setting out from Istanbul, which sits astride Europe and Asia, the race will stop off in Barcelona, which is the major pole of development for offshore racing in Spain. The start and finish venue for the Barcelona World Race, the Catalan capital has been on a real drive for several years to encourage a sizeable contingent of Iberian sailors to take up single-handed racing. Meantime Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, is steeped in the history of the discovery of unknown lands, whilst La Rochelle remains one of the major hubs for offshore racing in France.

Seven crews have confirmed their desire to be at the start in Istanbul: Acciona, Banque Populaire, Cheminées Poujoulat, Groupe Bel, MACIF, Safran and Virbac-Paprec 3. Two other teams could join them. After a few jolts, the Europa Race will demonstrate the true extent of its appeal in a few weeks’ time.

Event media

via BYM Sailing & Sports News.

March 16, 2012
Saran Media brings 3D sports technology to Turkish TV

Rebecca Hawkes ©RapidTVNews | 23-01-2012

Turkish broadcasters will be now have local access to 3D sports programming following the acquisition of SterGen’s 3D conversion platform by Istanbul-based sports broadcast and entertainment distributor Saran Media.

The SterGen software converts real time camera feeds and footage into true stereoscopic 3D at the fraction of the cost of conventional 3D productions, according to the company.

It will be used by Saran Media for both live sports and to add 3D visualisation to pre-recorded footage. In addition, the Turkish distributor plans to produce 3D content with a dedicated 3D depth effect for optimised display on glasses-free 3D mobile phones and tablets.

“Stereo 3DTV greatly enhances the viewing experience, especially for live sports telecasts,” said Selim Usta, head of sports, Saran Media. “For this reason, we’re extremely pleased to be able to leverage SterGen’s powerful technology to provide high profile 3DTV sports to broadcasters and other carriers in Turkey.”

Ofer Wolf, chief executive, StarGen added: “Our algorithms provide an excellent 3D viewing experience that is based on true geometrical analysis of the sports field and its ingredients. The technology allows SterGen to provide a solution that is similar to – and at times better than – native 3D, namely in the high camera shots, which are at the heart of any sports broadcast.”

via Saran Media brings 3D sports technology to Turkish TV | News | Rapid TV News.

January 24, 2012