The headquarters of the Istanbul Olympic Bidding Committee is a well-appointed office block in the heart of the city.

In his large office sits Sinan Erdem, the jovial 74-year-old president of the Turkish Olympic Committee.

He was the man who introduced the unique Turkish Olympic Law which ensures that Turkey has the funding and the administration to bid for the Games every time.

The Law has already meant the acquisition of a sizeable chunk of land to plan an Olympic Park.

Apart from the impressive venues, there's the magnificence of the city itself.

A tourist guide explains the glory of the Blue Mosque and the thousands of glazed tiles that cover the walls and ceilings - to this day, no-one has been able to reproduce the colours.

In the Bazaar of 5,000 shops, gold glitters and carpets make you marvel at the skill, while old men drink coffee in the numerous caf�s.

It is the sort of city which ought to be staging an Olympic Games if the ideals of Baron Pierre de Coubertin are to be followed.

Certainly there are problems in the city, and staging the Games would be an immense challenge.

Worthy project

But the worry for Istanbul and many other cities like it, is that Sydney has set the standard and there are few who can match it.

Back at the Bidding Committee's headquarters, I'm shown the conference hall where about 1,500 students a week are encouraged to participate in sports, and to understand what Olympism, the Olympics and the Istanbul Bid is all about.

It's a worthy project, but unlikely to be given much notice by the IOC members when they decide.

General Director Yalcin Aksoy speaks eloquently and passionately of the strides they have made since first entering the bidding fray.

Their modest ambition is not to go out in the first round to Osaka, and with faint but fervent hopes of upsetting one of the front runners.

The Istanbul bid | Clickable cities guide