Turkey took part in the boycott call made by Jimmy Carter, the President of the United States, after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979. However, the government and the General Directorate of Physical Education took this decision secretly without the knowledge of TOC. At that time, Turkey was playing qualifiers for the Olympics in football and basketball. The deadline to present the IOC and Moscow with the roster of participants for the finals in Moscow was May 24, 1980. The General Directorate asked for an extension from TOC until May 21 to present the roster. A telegram from the GDPE dated May 23 stated that “Federations were not ready ...” and “... participation in the games was not approved for technical reasons.” The only thing left for TOC was to inform the Olympic Games Organization Committee of Moscow and the IOC Presidency by telegram.
Juan Antonio Samaranch, the President of the IOC, was received by Kenan Evren, the President of the Republic of Turkey, during a visit to Turkey in 1983. President Evren, who was also the Mentor President of TOC, stated in the meeting that Istanbul would gladly hold the IOC’s 1987 meeting. Samaranch said he would consider the offer. In the 87th meeting of the IOC in Sarajevo in 1984, the IOC decided to hold its 92nd meeting in Istanbul. Turgut Atakol, the President of TOC, told President Evren about the IOC’s decision during a visit at Çankaya Palace on March 27, 1984. Evren welcomed the news and immediately had a thank you letter drawn out to be hand delivered to Mr. Samaranch by Mr. Atakol, the President of TOC. In the light of these developments, the 92nd meeting of the IOC was held in Istanbul in 1987 with the efforts of Turgut Atakol, the President of TOC and Jerfi Fıratlı, the Vice President of TOC. President Kenan Evren opened the meeting in Atatürk Culture Center on May 9, 1987. President Evren presented decorations to Mr. Samaranch, the IOC President and to three of his assistants. In return, Mr. Samaranch presented Kenan Evren with the Olympic Gold Decoration. Thus, for the first time in the history of the Olympics, a Turkish person received the Olympic Gold Decoration.
Jerfi Fıratlı took over the presidency following the sudden death of Turgut Atakol on April 9, 1988. Internal and external efforts gained speed in TOC after Sinan Erdem was elected as the President and Togay Bayatlı as the Secretary General in 1989. The “Olympic Law” was passed in 1992 after Istanbul became a candidate for the 2000 Olympic Games. The Istanbul Olympic Games Preparation and Organization Committee was established through this law, which was a world first. After Sinan Erdem passed away in 2003, Togay Bayatlı was unanimously elected as the new President in the ordinary meeting of TOC Board of Directors.
The general assemblies of the 2008 European Olympic Committees (EOC) and the European Non-Governmental Sports Organization (ENGSO) were held in Turkey to commemorate the centennial anniversary of TOC, one of the first 20 Olympic Committees. The 2009 General Assembly of the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) and its award ceremony were held in Turkey.
Togay Bayatlı announced that he was leaving his post due to health reasons in 2011. Following Bayatlı’s resignation, TOC Board of Directors unanimously elected Dr. Uğur Erdener, Ph.D., an IOC Member and the President of the World Archery Federation (WAF). At the same meeting Togay Bayatlı and Jerfi Fıratlı, one of the previous presidents, were unanimously presented with the “Honorary President” titles.