The people of Istanbul believe that the 2004 Games will make a difference not just to their own futures, but to a part of the globe which has yet to have the honour of hosting the Olympic Movement.

It would be the first time that the Games would be held at the heart of a region that is undergoing a rebirth. It is predominantly a moslem region, embracing Asia and Europe, the Middle East and the Balkans. Istanbul is a plateau from which the Olympic Torch can illuminate all.