Although a "surprise element" was expected today, this had been anticipated to involve a sporting superstar along the lines of Madrid's use of basketball player Pau Gasol.

Instead, 21 ambassadors from a variety of different sports took to the stage alongside bid chairman Hasan Arat, who emphasised once again Istanbul's aim to get "more kids to play more sport more often".

A similar strategy had helped London 2012 upset the odds in Singapore eight years ago and win them the Games. 

It could yet prove the difference ahead of the vote here on Saturday (September 7) which forms part of the 125th International Olympic Committee (IOC) session.

Hasan Arat is never one to miss an opportunity to play basketball as he did here with Turkish and local youngsters





The unveiling of this "surprise element" was followed by a basketball exhibition involving the ambassadors, local Argentinean youngsters and Arat - who is never one to miss an opportunity to partake in a sport at which he is a former professional.

"I really enjoyed that!" he unsurprisingly admitted.

"It was great to see young Turkish and Argentinian athletes playing together and enjoying sport - our passion for sport is a bridge that connects us.

"Getting our young people to participate in sport and live healthier lives in accordance with the Olympic values is our national priority.

"If we are awarded the honour of hosting the Games it will stimulate a huge rise in sports participation across the country and region."

Arat flanked by some of the 50 Youth Ambassadors who are here to endorse Istanbul's 2020 bid and will also appear in the final presentation to the IOC


Arat claimed promotion of youth is a clear sign of how seriously Istanbul is taking its pledge to engage with the youth population in Turkey and across the Olympic Movement.

"There are twice as many high school students in Turkey than there were ten years ago, and youth unemployment has actually dropped since the start of the global economic crisis", he revealed.

"Turkey's youth are at the very heart of our bid, our greatest natural resource and our brightest prospect for the future.

"So it is right that we should turn to them to help us bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Turkey for the very first time."

The antithesis to this question is that it was the very members of this youth community who were most prominent in the riots which engulfed Istanbul earlier this year.

However this was an issue well combated by the athletes themselves who emphasised that such protests are "a normal part of a democratic country" and that some degree of discontent "is always going to happen."