The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 host broadcaster TRT made a request to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to move this year's contest from the originally approved venue Mydonose Showland to Abdi Ipekci Stadium in Istanbul. The EBU approved the request during the Reference Group meeting this weekend in Istanbul. The contest's supervisor, Svante Stockselius, confirmed that to esctoday.com.
The new venue is the Turkish national basketball sports complex and at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 more than 9,000 seats are available. The reasons for the change of venue are mainly due to contractual issues and the need for a bigger venue.
Now, who was Abdi Ipekci? He turned away from nationalistic intolerance to help build bridges between Turkish and Greek journalists. In the process, Ipekci became honored among journalists in both countries. Ipekci was born in Istanbul in 1929 and started his journalistic career as a reporter for the daily newspaper Yeni Sabah. He worked on the news staff of the daily Yeni Istanbul, and then moved to Istanbul Ekspres in 1961, an afternoon paper, where he was soon named editor. At just 25-years-old, he became editor in chief of the recently established daily Milliyet (Nation), and helped build the newspaper into one of Turkey�s most successful and influential. His column called Durum tremendously impacted both public opinion and the government. He was a political moderate and powerful voice for democracy in a country bedeviled by violent polarization. Although political assassinations happened daily, Ipekci spoke ceaselessly for national unity and reconciliation and against violence and terrorism.
Abdi Ipekci became editor in chief of Milliyet at just 25-years-old and made it Turkey�s most influential newspaper. He was killed on Feb. 1, 1979, by the same right-wing militant who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II.
Address: 10. Yil Bulvari 34760 Zeytinburnu ISTANBUL/ TURKEY
Capasity: 10.553 seat
Distance (from)
Centre of city: 15 km
Airport: 12 km
Zeytinburnu lies along the slopes of the Catalca peninsula looking out upon the Marmara Sea in the southeast of Thrace. It is separated from the historical peninsula through the Byzantine walls and also very close to the E-5 highway and is far from the International Ataturk Airport of İstanbul with a distance lasting for 15- 20 minutes. Thus Zeytinburnu is an important gate of Istanbul. The town is surrounded by Fatih in the East, Bayrampasa in the North ,Gungoren in the West and the Marmara Sea in the South.
