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ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey has dropped its bid to host the 2020 European Championship final and semifinals, and will focus on hosting Euro 2024 alone. Turkeys football federation announced its decision ahead of Fridays bidding deadline despite Istanbul being a front-runner for the marquee matches with support already pledged by UEFA President Michel Platini. "We believe ... we are at a point where we can undertake the entire tournament, not just the semifinals and final," the Turkish federation said in a statement. The strategic move makes England and Germany favoured to receive the prestige package of final and semifinals for the 24-nation 2020 tournament. England has proposed Wembley Stadium in London and Germany has offered the Allianz Arena in Munich. UEFA will choose 13 host cities across Europe for Euro 2020 at a Sept. 19 meeting of its executive committee. Twelve winning bidders will each host three group-stage matches and a single knockout match from the last-16 or quarterfinals rounds. At least 20 UEFA member countries are expected to meet Fridays deadline to bid, including Italy and the Netherlands, plus newcomers Azerbaijan and Romania. A total of 32 countries expressed interest last September when Turkey was already a clear favourite for the final. Platini has publicly supported Turkeys claim since his native France won a close race between the countries in May 2010 to host Euro 2016. Turkey seemed sure to host Euro 2020 alone but the campaign was complicated by Istanbuls insistence on bidding for the 2020 Olympics, scheduled weeks later. Despite UEFA and Platini seeking a firm commitment for its tournament, Turkeys political and sporting leaders proceeded in the Olympics contest won by Tokyo last year. Turkey automatically becomes the favourite to host Euro 2024, with one of its probable opponents -- England or Germany -- likely to step aside if either gets the prestige matches in 2020. Also Friday, France and Switzerland withdrew from the Euro 2020 bidding, saying it was too soon to repeat as host nations. Switzerland shared Euro 2008 with neighbouring Austria. Euro 2012 co-host Poland backed out this week, following the Czech Republic, Croatia, Finland and Portugal. UEFA will confirm the Euro 2020 candidates on Saturday. Discount Yeezy Shop . Canadas 5-1 loss to Finland in the semifinal ranks as the tournaments most-watched game with a record 2.7 million viewers, the largest ever for a World Juniors game played outside of North America, and winning Saturday as the most-watched program on Canadian television. Wholesale Yeezy Replica .Y. -- The New York Islanders were seeking a positive finish to a frustrating season on home ice. http://www.wholesaleyeezy.com/. Maria Silvia Bastos Marques, president of the EOM (Municipal Olympic Company), will be leaving her post but will remain as an advisor, a city hall statement said Tuesday. Wholesale Yeezy Shoes . Maximilian Arnold put Wolfsburg ahead in the eighth minute, when the stationary Fallou Diagne allowed him to guide Patrick Ochs cross beyond the helpless Freiburg goalkeeper, and Ivica Olic doubled the lead three minutes later after Luiz Gustavo did well to set him up. Discount Yeezys . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends.The Canadian womens hockey team opens defence of the Four Nations Cup on Tuesday in Kamloops, B.C. The annual international womens hockey tournament also features the United States, Finland and Sweden. You can catch Canadas 2014 Four Nations Cup opening match against Sweden, Tuesday at 10pm et/7pm pt on TSN1, TSN4 and TSN5. Canadas first opponent is Sweden. The top two teams in the preliminary round meet in Saturdays final at the Interior Savings Centre. Here are five things to know about the Four Nations Cup: — When Canada and the U.S. square off in the preliminary round Wednesday, it will be their first meeting since the dramatic Olympic gold-medal game in Sochi, Russia. Trailing 2-0, the Canadians scored twice in the last four minutes and again in overtime to rescue the gold medal. The Americans hit the post on what could have been an empty-net winner with just over a minute to go. Canada has 10 players at the Four Nations from its Olympic roster, while the Americans are taking a dozen Sochi veterans to Kamloops. — Canada lost a premier player just a week out from the Four Nations. Marie-Philip Poulin of Beauceville, Que., who scored the equalizer with 55 seconds left and the overtime winner in the Sochi gold-medal game, wont play in Kamloops because of an undisclosed injury. The Boston University captain was hurt in a Terriers game againstt Maine.dddddddddddd Brianne Jenner of Oakville, Ont., who scored the first goal of the comeback in Sochi, replaced Poulin on the host teams roster. — Caroline Ouellette, Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford were among the warhorses Hockey Canada left at home to start grooming a new generation of leaders. Haley Irwin of Thunder Bay, Ont., will be Canadas captain in Kamloops. Rebecca Johnston of Sudbury, Ont., Lauriane Rougeau of Beaconsfield, Que., and Torontos Natalie Spooner will be assistant captains. — Jamie Lee Rattray leads 10 players in their debut with the national team. The Ottawa forward capped her final season at Clarkson by winning the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top player in NCAA Division 1 womens hockey. She now plays in the Canadian Womens Hockey League for Brampton. Forward Jillian Saulnier of Halifax was a finalist for the Kazmaier award and is in her senior year with Cornell. — Finland finished out of the medals in Sochi, but took their greatest strides yet in closing the gap on Canada and the U.S. For the first time, they engaged the North Americans at both ends of the ice instead of relying on defence and a lucky goal. The Finns fell 3-1 to the U.S. and 3-0 to Canada in Sochi. A quarter-final loss to Sweden kept them from a semifinal rematch with the U.S., but Finland has what it takes to challenge for world gold. ' ' '