Istanbul - a fabulous city where East meets West, the bridge between Europe and Asia, a thriving metropolis of 12 million people - exotic yet distinctly western. Istanbul has been the seat of three great empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman - and a meeting place for peoples of many religions and cultures who came together and learned to live in peace and harmony. Ultra-modern amenities, the splendours of the Ottoman past and the honoured traditions of Turkish hospitality combine to make Istanbul a fascinating city, one that will impress all visitors with treasured and lasting memories. Istanbul will reward you with the comfort of home while offering sights, sounds and smells that carry you swiftly to another culture, another time.

This vibrant, exciting city is really accessible from all part of the world, served by more than 50 airlines. Every major European airport is 2-3 hours away. There are frequent direct flights to Istanbul from most European cities, and all the important cities in the world.Istanbul is a treasure trove of sight seeing possibilities, and has many wonderful places that should not be missed - for example Tokapi Palace: the residence of the Sultan for 4 centuries, a city within the city; the Blue Mosque; St Sophia; the Basilica Cistern; the spice market; Rumeli Castle and many other historic monuments - followed, of course, by a shopping expedition to the Grand Bazaar.

Grand Cevahir Hotel and Convention Centre

which is a truly luxurious deluxe hotel. It combines a state of art convention centre with an extremely comfortablehotel, ideal for such a prestigious Championship. Accommodation will also be available in hotels nearby which willinclude 2 and 3 star hotels as well as the more expensive 4 and 5 star hotels, so that as wide a range of rates aspossible can be offered to players coming to the Championships.