"The Turkish nation, our community, is ready to host an Olympic Games," he said.

"Our Government and our people are ready.

"In some countries and cities, according to survey results, people don't agree with these kind of big organisations and they think there are negative affects of bidding.

"But Istanbul had the highest amount of public support for 2020 and the Turkish nation strongly supports Olympic ideas."

Istanbul has not been put off by its failure to be awarded the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics ©Getty Images



Any decision on whether Istanbul bids or not is likely to rest with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, currently the Prime Minister, but who is due to take over as President following his victory in last week's election in Turkey.

Until now, the Presidential role in Turkey has been largely a ceremonial role but under Erdoğan the position is set to become much more powerful.

"We will sit together with the Government authorities and the President and we will have a decision, probably in November and December," said Erdener.

Erdener highlighted a law in the Istanbul Parliament that means the city will always consider a bid for the Olympics, until it is successful, while he also claimed that the city now has a well of bidding knowledge following his most recent attempt. 

A number of other European cities are considering bids for 2024, including Paris on what would be the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Games there, as well as Rome, Berlin and Hamburg.

But it is assumed, though, that American city will start as the favourite, particularly after the signing of a long-term agreement between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and broadcasting giants NBC Universal in June.

With the process to select host cities currently being reappraised, all of the contenders are awaiting the outcome of Agenda 2020, due to be decided upon at the IOC Session in Monte Carlo on December 8 and 9, before making a final decision either way.

Turkish Olympic Committee President Uğur Erdener claims there is widespread support in the country for another Olympic bid from Istanbul ©AFP/Getty Images

Erdener, a major player in the Olympic Movement who is also the President of World Archery and a member of the IOC's ruling Executive Board, also expressed his hope that a distinction is made between the Games-specific and infrastructural budgets as part of these changes. 

This would avoid a repeat of the widespread reports that the Winter Olympics in Sochi had cost $50 billion (£30 billion/€37 billion) when this total was actually an amalgamation of the wider infrastructural work as well as what was spent by the Organising Committee.

"This is very important from the IOC side," Erdener said.

"If we think of them together, we will have some difficulties, the two things should be separate."

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