Istanbul bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics of the city, while the bottom reflects the Asian side, which are divided by the Bosporus. The colors are orange, which reflects the color of sunset in the city, and turquoise, which is connected to Turkish culture. Istanbul bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics Istanbul 2020 (Turkish: ) was a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics by the city of Istanbul and the Turkish Olympic Committee. The Turkish Olympic Committee (TMOK) announced the selection of Istanbul as Turkey's candidate on July 7, 2011. Turkey's candidacy was announced officially by Prime Minister Erdogan on August 13, 2011. Hasan Arat, who heads
History of Istanbul History of Istanbul The city today known as Istanbul has been the site of human settlement for approximately three thousand years. The settlement was founded by Thracian tribes between the 13th and 11th centuries BC, whose earliest known name is Lygos. It was colonised by the Greeks in the 7th century BC. It fell to the Roman Empire in AD 196, and was known as Byzantium until 330, when it was renamed Constantinople and made the new capital of the Roman Empire. During late antiquity, the city rose to be the largest of the western world, with a population peaking