Personal sports like golf, horse riding and tennis are gaining popularity as the city hosts international tournaments such as the WTA Istanbul Cup. For aerobics and bodybuilding, numerous fitness clubs are available. Paintball is a sport which has recently gained popularity and is practiced by two large clubs in the proximity of Istanbul. Martial arts and other Eastern disciplines and practices such as Aikido and Yoga can be exercised in several centers across the city. Istanbul also hosts the annual MTB races in the nearby Belgrad Forest and Büyükada Island. Two of the most prominent cycling teams of Turkey, namely the Scott/Marintek MTB Team and the Kron/Sektor Bikes/Efor Bisiklet MTB Team, are from Istanbul.
Istanbul hosts several annual motorsports events, such as the Formula One Turkish Grand Prix, the MotoGP Grand Prix of Turkey, the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the GP2 and the Le Mans Series 1000 km races at the Istanbul Park GP Racing Circuit.
From time to time Istanbul also hosts the Turkish leg of the F1 Powerboat Racing on the Bosphorus. Several annual sailing and yacht races take place on the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. The Golden Horn is where the rowing races take place. Major clubs like Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, and major universities such as the Bosphorus University have rowing teams.
Air racing is very new to the city. On July 29, 2006, Istanbul hosted the 4th round of the spectacular Red Bull Air Race World Series above the Golden Horn.

Istanbul has 46 sister cities:




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Almaty, Kazakhstan
Amman, Jordan
Athens, Greece
Baku, Azerbaijan
Barcelona, Spain
Beirut, Lebanon
Berlin, Germany
Budapest, Hungary
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Busan, South Korea
Cairo, Egypt
Caracas, Venezuela
Chittagong, Bangladesh
Cologne, Germany
Constanţa, Romania
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Durres, Albania
Florence, Italy
Havana, Cuba
Houston, USA
Isfahan, Iran
Jakarta, Indonesia
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Kabul, Afghanistan
Kazan, Russia
Khartoum, Sudan
Lahore, Pakistan
Mary, Turkmenistan
Odessa, Ukraine
Osh, Kyrgyzstan
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Prague, Czech Republic
Rabat, Morocco
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
St. Petersburg, Russia
Samarqand, Uzbekistan
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Shanghai, People's Republic of China
Shimonoseki, Japan
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
Stockholm, Sweden
Strasbourg, France
Tbilisi, Georgia
Venice, Italy
Warsaw, Poland
Xi'an, People's Republic of China
List of architectural structures in Istanbul
List of columns and towers in Istanbul
List of hospitals in Istanbul
List of Istanbulites
List of libraries in Istanbul
List of mayors of Istanbul
List of museums and monuments in Istanbul
List of schools in Istanbul
List of shopping malls in Istanbul
List of urban centers in Istanbul
List of universities in Istanbul
List of tallest buildings in Istanbul
Large Cities Climate Leadership Group
2004 Istanbul Summit
Istanbul Governor's Office
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
Istanbul City Guide
Explore Istanbul
Time Out Istanbul: Restaurants, cafés, pubs, night life, shopping and things to do in Istanbul
Biletix: Concerts, festivals, art exhibitions and other cultural events in Istanbul
Istanbul Kolay: Events, things to do and places to go in Istanbul (Turkish)
Istanbul travel guide from Wikitravel
WikiSatellite view of Istanbul at WikiMapia
Istanbul City Camera
Emporis Buildings Database: Historic and modern buildings of Istanbul