The grand opening of Near East University Sports Tower was realized with the participation of the Prime Minister Hüseyin ÖZGÜRGÜN. Having been designed to offer services in all branches of sports as well as body/fitness exercises for all age-groups, Near East University Sports Tower with its 120 trainers and personnel has opened its doors for all sports enthusiasts.

According to the press release issued by the Directorate of Press and Public Relations Office of Near East University, the grand opening ceremony of the Sports Tower, located in Near East University Campus, was realized with the participation of TRNC Prime Minister Hüseyin ÖZGÜRGÜN, Representative of the Turkish Ambassador to Nicosia, Foreign Affairs Minister Tahsin ERTUĞRULOĞLU, Interior Minister Kutlu EVREN, Public Works and Transport Minister Kemal DÜRÜST, Agriculture and Natural Resources Minister Nazım CAVUŞOĞLU, Health Minister Faiz SUCUOĞLU, Labor and Social Security Minister Hamza Ersan SANER, 3rd TRNC President Derviş EROĞLU, Near East University Founding Rector Dr. Suat İ. GÜNSEL, Near East University Board of Trustees Chairman Assoc. Prof. Dr. İrfan S. GÜNSEL, Rector and vice Rectors, MPs, Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Federation Chairman Ali DAHLAMEROĞLU, Near East University staff and invitees.

TRNC President Hüseyin ÖZGÜRGÜN, the 3rd TRNC President Derviş EROĞLU, NEU Board of Trustees Chairman Assoc. Prof. Dr. İrfan S. GÜNSEL and Near East University Sports Tower Director Turgut ZABİT, one of each, delivered a speech at the grand opening ceremony that attracted great interest.

Sports services will be provided consciously in a healthy environment...

Touching upon the crucial role of sports in acquiring and sustaining a healthy life, the Sports Tower Director Turgut ZABİT underlined that they would offer well designed regular exercise programs including sporting events, weight management, resistance training, and other activities required for physical and mental wellbeing.

Indicating that they had been working hard to support and extend sports to all age-groups in all branches, Mr. ZABİT delivered further information: "Together with 120 trainers and personnel that specialized in their fields, we will offer conscious, planned and programmed sports services. Thus, sports enthusiasts can engage in sports and other body/fitness exercises specific to their age in an environment that equipped with high-end equipments produced with the world’s latest technologies" said he.

Touching upon the importance of ensuring opportunities for all to engage in sports and physical activities in their free time for avoiding and breaking bad habits, gaining a physical and mental wellbeing, and sustaining a social, vigorous and healthy life, Mr. ZABİT highlighted that sport also has a great role in improving the self esteem and self confidence, particularly in children. "To this end, we have designed and built the Sports Tower to offer sports opportunities for all ages by going over even the finest detail" said he.

Sports and Body/fitness training that tailored for all age-groups as well as for people with special needs will be provided...

Highlighting that the Sports Tower would offer opportunities not only for doing sports in many branches but also special fitness and dance trainings for all age groups, ZABİT stated that primary, secondary and high school students would have special sessions in special chambers, where they could involve in sporting events in groups of the same age with sporting tools specific to their ages.

Highlighting the importance of a proper diet for a healthy body, Mr. ZABİT stated that The Sports Tower would also offer athletic nutrition services along with dietetic counseling and appropriate services for women and children at sections that specific to them. Underlining their commitment to ensuring accessibility in sports, he also indicated that they would provide programs that designed and tailored to enable the people with special needs to sport under the guidance of expert trainers.

Underlining their devotion to providing qualitative excellence in sports and fitness training by using the high-end instruments that produced with the latest technologies, Mr. ZABİT stated that the Sports Tower was equipped with Italian brand Panatta instruments including InBody ( body composition analyzer), Cryotherapy (cold lipolysis device), Ozone sauna (hot air therapy), Body Shape (acceleration of the blood circulation system), xbody (electrical muscle stimulator), and Zero Runner (Treadmill with zero impact).

Touching upon the structural and sporting opportunities of the Sports Tower, Turgut ZABİT invited everyone willing to sustain a healthy life to involve in the sporting events and body/fitness trainings at the Sports Tower.

A well-equipped facility that offers sports and body/fitness trainings in a healthy and contemporary environment...

Situated on 3600 square meters area, Near East University Sports Tower is a contemporary sports facility that houses nine floors equipped with the latest technological devices and instruments.

Each floor of the Sports Tower was designed to address all needs regarding sports, body training and athlete nutrition for ensuring a healthy life. The ground floor houses the information desk, vitamin bar-cafe, and the dietary supplements store for sports nutrition. Here, healthy dietary menus are also offered under the guidance of registered dietitians. The second, third and fourth floors are equipped with Italian brand Panatta products that designed by Pininfarina, the legendary firm that designed the automotive giant Ferrari. Panatta, which adopts technical innovation and qualitative excellence, is considered as one of the world’s greatest brands. The fourth floor of the Sports Tower is a hall specific for ladies only. The fifth floor houses two studios to offer group exercise sessions such as TRX, yoga, Pilates, total body and similar exercises required for a total body workout. The sixth floor houses a section for children only and it is equipped with appropriate high end instruments that designed for gymnastic and fitness training for kids. The seventh floor of the Sports Tower houses a studio designed to offer group exercises for more crowded masses of people. The eighth floor houses a studio for martial arts and combat sports including Boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), Kick Boxing, Shotokan Karate, kettlebell, mixed martial arts (MMA), and Judo.

A step taken against the unfair embargos imposed on Turkish Cypriot People

Near East University Board of Trustees Chairman Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irfan S. GÜNSEL also stated that they took a step to integrate the people of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with the world and said that the Sports Tower would allow a community that restricted by embargos, to open up to the world through sports.

“This tower is a response to those who are trying to isolate the Turkish Cypriot people from world sports and to those who cannot tolerate our country's representation at international platforms. Each floor of the Sports Tower that rising to sky represents the investment made in a systematic way to overcome the unfair embargoes imposed on our country and our people” said he.

Underlining NEU’s commitment to continuing to exert effort to pave the way for our country and our people towards a better future, Assoc. Prof. Dr. GÜNSEL expressed his views regarding the issue: “The Sports Tower that we are realizing its grand opening now is one of the greatest proofs that the efforts of those, who are trying to prevent our people from integrating with the world through sports, will be inconclusive. Every step that our national athletes and guest international athletes will take on the treadmills of the Sports Tower will be a step taken by our country to overcome the embargos on our sports”.

Pointing to the accomplishments of Near East University Women's Basketball Team, Assoc. Prof. Dr. GÜNSEL stated that the team crowned our country with three championships including FIBA EuroCup 2017, TWBSL Cup and Turkish Cup. "This is one of the best examples of conveying our people's spirit that knows no boundaries to international platforms via sports. Each ball that our team leaves in the opponent's hoop at international tournaments is a reply to embargoes" said he.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. İrfan S. GÜNSEL also added that Near East University had more than 1400 licensed athletes who achieved 1062 championships in the last year as a result of significant investments that they made in every branch of sports and in sportsmen.

Sports in a healthy ambiance and environment will become a life style

Stating that the island of Cyprus possesses everything required for carrying out all kinds of sporting events, Assoc. Prof. Dr. GÜNSEL drew attention to the necessity of making systematic and planned investments in sports to benefit from the sports potentials of our country. Touching upon the significant role of sports in developing a much stronger physical and mental health, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İrfan S. Günsel stated that the Sports Tower, which was launched to address the demand for a sport facility where sporting activities can be carried out under healthy conditions, would offer numerous sport activities, advanced equipments, professional trainers and whole body exercises and workouts.

"The sports Tower will provide significant contribution not only to the improvement of our athletes and country's sport but also to the recognition of our country at international platforms. We aim to foster our people to adopt sports as an integral part of lifestyle as it is in other world countries. Our overriding goal is to provide lifestyle sports for our people, to facilitate their daily sports lives and encourage them to involve in regular sporting activities to improve their physical and mental wellbeing through sports" said he.

“By rooting on these lands that we are deeply bound up with, we will continue to come up with great breakthroughs”

Underlining their devotion to continuing to build up new facilities to provide the best services in all domains of education, health, sports, science and innovation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. GÜNSEL explained how deeply they were in love with these lands: “Whenever we come up with a new work to add value to these lands, we live the same thrill that our grandparents experienced while shedding their sweat and tears to give life to these lands. In this respect, while we step towards building up the future which will be enlightened with the light in the smiling eyes of our children, we remember the bright faces of our grandparents smiling to us; at every opportunity we remember them, we present our prayers and gratitude to them. With the strength that we got from our people and our roots, we continue to come up with new breakthroughs. We are committed to continuing to do everything to open new horizons for this country to which we are deeply bound up with a great love” said he.

Expressing that they would continue to sweat for the development of sports in our country, Assoc. Prof. Dr. GÜNSEL ended his remarks by wishing the good use of the Sports Tower for Turkish Cypriots and sports.

"Sports developments in the world have been brought into the service of Turkish Cypriot people..."

Beginning his remarks by expressing that the Near East family could only be defined with the words "breakthrough, investment, innovation and success", Derviş EROĞLU, third President of TRNC, stated that Near East University Sports Tower had brought the world's high-end technologies regarding sports into the service of the people of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Underlining that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was one of the countries in great need for investments, former President EROĞLU stated that Near East family, which started with a university, continued to invest not only in all domains of education but also in health, science, sports and in other fields. "Near East University, which currently employs thousands of people, continues to invest to bring the latest technologies and developments in various fields across the globe into service of our people” noted he.

Derviş EROĞLU, who wished that the investments made by Near East University would have a fostering role, highlighted that new investments would contribute to the solution of the unemployment problem in a developing country like Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus where the number of university graduates is an increasing trend.

Touching upon the leading role of Near East University in Sports, EROĞLU ended his remarks with these words: "In virtue of Near East University, our country was crowned with three championships in women's basketball including EuroCup 2017, TWBSL Cup 2017 and Turkish Cup 2017. This Sports Tower will pave the way for our athletes to make their names known in TRNC and across the world as well. Good luck with it".

Prime Minister ÖZGÜRGÜN: "Near East family deem Turkish Cypriot people worthy of the best, the most beautiful and the most contemporary"

Expressing his great happiness of realizing the grand opening of Near East University Sports Tower, which is a project that hardly found in the Middle East and even in the European Union countries, Prime Minister ÖZGÜRGÜN stated that Near East family, the architect of the firsts, had made another dream come true.

"Dreams might be hard to actualize. Near East family always come up with big dreams to pave the way for our country towards a better future. It is the work of those who walk after big dreams with courage and determination. Devotion and loyalty to one's country is like a flame that burns a candle. The GÜNSEL family, in an unyielding manner and without being bored or tired, invested in fields serving to human including education and health. They exerted great effort and realized many breakthroughs to make our country's name heard all around the world. With their own resources, they created a women's basketball team and achieved three championships in their rookie year. They competed in FIBA EuroCup 2017 and crowned our country by becoming champion in Europe. This is a great step taken towards breaking the embargos imposed on our country's sports” said he.

Underlining that Near East family always takes it as a mission to offer the best, the most beautiful and the most contemporary for the people of the country, Prime Minister ÖZGÜRGÜN ended his remarks. "I firmly believe that the contemporary Sports Tower, which provides employment opportunity for hundreds of people, will be beneficial for the youth and our country".

Following the speeches, the opening ribbon was cut off with the participation of the protocol. After the opening ceremony, the attendants toured the Sports Tower.