Olympic committee delegation kicks off 4-day visit in Istanbul

ISTANBUL (Xinhua) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegation started its four-day visit in Istanbul on Saturday after paying visits to other candidate cities Tokyo and Madrid.

The 15-member delegation were given a star's welcome as they arrived in the candidate city where they will assess Istanbul's bid to host 2020 Olympic Games, observe the preparations and meet Turkish governmental officials.

The delegation was welcomed with chants of "We are ready" and flags supporting Istanbul's bid.

The Turkish Olympic Committee, as well as the Istanbul municipality, appeared determined to make a positive first impression as an energized crowd of young people eagerly awaited the IOC members' arrival at Istanbul's Ataturk airport.

The group will make visits to the sports facilities in Istanbul, including the 76,000-seat Ataturk Olympic Stadium, and the 52,000-seat Seyrantepe Stadium.

Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas and Istanbul 2020 Bid Committee Chairman Hasan Arat held a reception for media on Saturday evening, highlighting advantages of Istanbul in its bid.

The two officials voiced its slogans: one city, one game and two continents.