The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid have made it on to the shortlist of cities bidding to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
* The Candidate Cities were accepted from among five Applicant Cities, which also included Baku (Azerbaijan) and Doha (Qatar).
The IOC takes the opportunity to thank all the Applicant Cities for their hard work, dedication and support of the Olympic Movement.
The three Candidate Cities will now be requested to prepare their Candidature File with an in-depth description of their Olympic project. They will also prepare for the visit of the IOC Evaluation Commission. The Evaluation Commission will make a detailed technical assessment of each candidature and publish a report in advance of the 2020 Briefing for IOC Members in July 2013.
The following timetable has been established for this phase:
- Olympic Games Observers' Programme – London 2012
Deadline: 27 July – 12 August 2012
- London 2012 debrief in Rio de Janeiro
November 2012
- Submission of Candidature Files to the IOC
Deadline: 7 January 2013
- Visits by the IOC Evaluation Commission to the Candidate Cities
Deadline: February- April 2013
- Report by the 2020 IOC Evaluation Commission
Deadline: July 2013
- 2020 Briefing for IOC Members
July 2013
- Election of the Host City of the 2020 Olympic Games
Deadline: 7 September 2013, 125th IOC Session, Buenos Aires
Please note: the Candidature Procedure and Questionnaire, which outlines the procedures, rules and deadlines to be respected until the election of the host city, as well as the in-depth questionnaire which Candidate Cities must respond to in their Candidature File, is available on the IOC website here.
The election of the host city will take place on 7 September 2013 at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
* Cities are listed in the order of drawing of lots 
