Turkey is making its fourth consecutive attempt to host the football European Championships.
Here are some highlights as it makes a pitch for Euro 2024 in Nyon, Switzerland, on Thursday:
– Turkey plans to use 10 stadiums in nine cities, including the capital Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, Bursa, Gaziantep, Eskisehir, Kocaeli, Konya and Trabzon.
– A total of 37 stadiums have been constructed in Turkey over the past 10 years. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) says eight of the 10 venues required for 2024 are already in place, two are under construction. UEFA says seven are operational.
– The largest will be Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic, to be rebuilt by 2023, with a capacity of 92,208, according to the TFF.
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– Istanbul will hold matches at two stadiums, the other is the Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex, built in 2011 with a capacity of 53,611.
– The south-eastern province of Gaziantep is close to the Syrian border. The city of the same name is home to nearly 400,000 Syrian refugees. Its stadium was built in 2017 with a capacity of 35,219.
– The stadium in Ankara will be rebuilt by 2021 and will have a capacity of 65,307.
– Turkey held the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in five of the 10 cities picked for Euro 2024.
– A number of international events, including the basketball Under-18 European Championship, was cancelled in the aftermath of a coup attempt in 2016.
– UEFA described the vision of the Turkish bid as bringing “people together by promoting an intercultural dialogue thanks to its location between three continents,” but cited human rights concerns and the impact of a currency crisis.
– Turkey has pledged to make 1 billion euros (1.18 billion dollars) in investments between 2018-24.
– If awarded, Euro 2024 would mark the first European football championship held in a predominantly Muslim country.
– Turkey has in place legal restrictions on the advertising of tobacco, alcoholic products, gambling and betting. UEFA says a restriction on alcoholic products might be a potential conflict if a sponsorship agreement is signed with a beer company.
– Host cities will be connected through a high-speed train network by 2023; 60 international airports will be operational in the country by 2024.
Dpa
