The Turkish Olympic committee president said a recent flurry of doping cases among the nation’s athletes will help Istanbul’s bid for the 2020 Olympics.
Ugur Erdener said the reports “shows that Turkey is fighting doping and, in my opinion, will affect the Olympic bid positively, not negatively,” according to The Associated Press.
“We are pressing ahead with our efforts to combat doping with tests conducted during and outside of competitions,” Erdener said in a statement to Anadolu Agency in Turkey, according to the AP.
The Telegraph reported Tuesday as many as 30 Turkish track and field athletes failed urine tests in a target-testing program by the IAAF in the last month. Turkey could be banned from August’s world track and field championships in Moscow.
Istanbul is one of three finalist cities to host the 2020 Olympics — with Madrid and Tokyo. The winner will be announced on Sept. 7.
