In boost to Olympic ambitions, Istanbul moves closer to hosting 2027 European Games.

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The European Olympic Committees’ chief and Turkish officials inked an initial agreement on Thursday for Istanbul to host the 2027 European Games, in a move that could boost the city’s chances of staging the 2036 Olympics.

The European Olympic Committees picked Turkey’s largest city as host at a meeting in March, although the decision still needs to be approved by national members at a meeting in June.

EOC President Spyros Capralos, Turkish Olympic Committee vice president Kazim Ali Kiremitcioglu and Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu signed a memorandum of understanding in a ceremony in Rome, bringing Istanbul closer to hosting the European sports event.

Istanbul has bid to host the Olympics several times and came second to Tokyo in the bid contest for the 2020 Olympics. City officials said last year they want to target the 2036 Summer Games.

“We should not forget that Istanbul has been trying many times to organize the Olympic Games. And therefore, I think that organizing a big multi-sport event like the European Games will help in that direction,” Capralos said in a video conference with a group of journalists before the signing ceremony.

Imamoglu told dignitaries attending the ceremony in Rome: “Our first and greatest step toward our goal of becoming an Olympic city will be the time-frame when Istanbul will host the 2027 European Games.”

In addition to Istanbul, India is also planning to bid for the 2036 Olympics, with the Australian city Brisbane having already been awarded the 2032 games.

The International Olympic Committee has changed its process for awarding Olympic games in recent years, inviting preferred candidates for exclusive talks instead of having an open bidding process.

Turkey will also co-host soccer’s 2032 European Championship with Italy.

The European Games were first held in 2015 and serves as a continental championship and Olympic qualifier for a number of sports. The 2023 edition in Poland featured nearly 7,000 athletes competing in 29 sports, including athletics, boxing and table tennis.

The EOC chief said Istanbul, which has hosted major sporting events in the past, would not be required to build new venues for the European Games.

“The EOC team has already visited various venues in Istanbul and was very impressed,” Capralos said.

“Our objective is to use existing facilities and for the government, the municipality and the Olympic Committee to spend money only to improve existing facilities,” he added.

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