World Bulletin / News Desk

The International Olympic Committee's press meeting was held on the fifth day of the 12th SportAccord Convention organised in Susesi Luxury Resort in Turkey's Antalya province.

IOC's German president Thomas Bach spoke about the 2016 Rio Olympics, possible changes in the Olympic candidacy system and the 2020 Olympics to be held in Tokyo.

Bach said: "We still believe the games in Rio can be very successful."

When asked by AA about Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympics and a possible change in bidding procedure, Bach says the pitch for 2020 was excellent adding that the bidding committe emphasized that all candidates for 2020 had put projects together, leaving a very good legacy.

About a possible candidacy of Turkey in the future, Bach said: "I think future bid from Istanbul would be very welcome by IOC members, particularly as the result in Buenos Aires was not a vote against Istanbul, this was a vote in favour of Tokyo. So I'm pretty sure that the IOC members will see a future bid from Istanbul with great sympathy."

Lastly, he talked about a possible change in bidding procedure; he stated IOC wants to focus on candidature in bidding procedures in a way that they encourage potential candidate cities to tell them how they see the Olympic Games fitting best into their social and environmental fields, with a long-term development plans.