Fallout from arrest of Istanbul mayor forces cancellation of city event for Olympic sports leaders
Fallout from arrest of Istanbul mayor forces cancellation of city event for Olympic sports leaders
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The arrest and detention of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, last month has forced the cancellation of an international conference of Olympics officials and sports leaders due to take place in the city.
The SportAccord event was scheduled June 9-12 in Istanbul which wants to host the Summer Games in 2036 or 2040, in a project closely tied to the mayor.
İmamoğlu, who lobbied for the bid at the Paris Olympics last year, has been seen as a future election opponent of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 and faces corruption and terrorism charges which observers say are politically motivated. Protests in the aftermath have brought hundreds of thousands of people on to the streets of Istanbul.
Organizers of SportAccord cited the “evolving political context” for their decision to cancel an event typically attended by leaders of the International Olympic Committee and influential Olympic sports.
The detention of İmamoğlu “led to political disruption,” SportAccord said, stressing its top priority was “safety and welfare” of delegates.
“As a result, several fundamental conditions for hosting the event could no longer be met, and it was decided that the event could no longer proceed.”
It is the latest cancellation for SportAccord which has been held just once since 2019 — last year in Birmingham, England — with disruptions because of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s full military invasion of Ukraine.
Istanbul’s expected rivals to host future editions of the Summer Games include bids from India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Hungary.
The IOC now sets no fixed timetable to pick Olympic hosts. Preferred options after discreet — and critics say opaque — lobbying are invited to enter exclusive talks before being confirmed eventually in a rubber-stamp vote by IOC members without a rival on the ballot.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
