Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu held a press conference at the Saraçhane IMM Presidential Building.
The conference was attended by Turkish National Olympic Committee Secretary General Neşe Gündoğan, Turkish National Olympic Committee Vice President Ali Kiremitçioğlu, European and World Champion Olympic Karateka Serap Özçelik Arapoğlu, and European and World Champion Olympic Taekwondo Athlete Nafia Kuş Aydın.
According to Gökhan Kam's report from Cumhuriyet, İmamoğlu announced in the press conference that the 2027 European Games will take place in Istanbul.
In his statement, Ekrem İmamoğlu said, “Today, we are experiencing the joy of a historic day for Istanbul. The 2027 European Games will be held in Istanbul. This event will add significant sporting value to Istanbul. The contacts we started in 2023 have quickly yielded results. Despite many applications in the past, this is a very important development for Istanbul, which has never hosted a multi-sport event before.”
İmamoğlu also mentioned that the signing ceremony was postponed to later weeks due to the local elections.
The European Games, a decision made by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in 2012, is the continent's largest Olympic organization, held every four years.
Following the Asian, Pan-American, African, and Pacific Games, it became the fifth continental Olympic event, ensuring that all continents around the world now have their own Olympics. All 50 countries in Europe (with the United Kingdom participating under a single flag) showcase their talents in the games.
The EOC starts the process by sending an invitation letter to each member country's committee. Candidate countries then convey their requests to the EOC.
Appointed individuals from the committee conduct the necessary inspections. After deliberations on the candidacies at the EOC General Assembly, the host is selected.