Istanbul increases chances for Olympics

The IOC came away on Wednesday with an "excellent impression" of Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympics, stressing that the city's multi-billion-dollar infrastructure budget will be spent whether or not Turkey gets the games, CNS news reports.

Wrapping up a four-day tour to assess Istanbul's fifth bid for the Olympics, IOC Vice President Craig Reedie said his evaluation panel was impressed by the strong government and business support.

Istanbul is competing against Madrid and Tokyo. The IOC panel has already visited those two cities. The full International Olympic Committee will choose the 2020 host city by secret ballot on September 7 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Adapted from: Vestnik Kavkaza