NEU Sports Academy will direct the elite athletes of the future to the right sports branch with professional needs analyses, physical fitness tests, psychological assessment tests and genetic sports tests to be applied for the first time in the country. Thus, the champions of the future will be discovered and trained at a young age! NEU Sports Academy’s scientific tests will also be available to all sports clubs, federations, schools and individual athletes in the country.
NEU Sports Academy, established by Near East University with the aim of discovering and training professional elite athletes, has started its operations. The opportunities offered to the athletes of NEU Sports Academy, which set out with the slogan “Professional Support, Elite Performance”, were shared with the sports public at the press conference held at RA 25 Indoor Sports Hall. NEU Sports Academy, which will provide scientific and professional support to athletes, will direct future elite athletes to the right sports branches at an early age with professional needs analyses, physical fitness tests, psychological assessment tests and genetic sports tests.
At the press conference, Near East University Health, Culture and Sports Department Head Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk, together with NEU Sports Academy stakeholders, conveyed important information about the functioning of the academy. Near East University Hospital Medical Genetic Diagnosis Laboratory Manager Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören, İkas Pharma Pharmaceutical Warehouse General Manager Gökhan Uyal, Near East Sports Tower Manager Expert. Turgut Zabit, Expert. Sports Psychologist Gözde Acaray, Physical Fitness Test Coordinator specialist Ömer Bozkurt and dietitian Ayşe Kurak Subaşı attended the meeting.
Raising Olympic champions is not a dream!
The first speaker at the press conference was Near East University Health, Culture and Sports Department Head Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk and said that they laid the foundations of NEU Sports Academy by adopting an approach that aims for success in all areas of sports. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk said, “It is not a dream to train elite athletes who will lead the country’s sports, or even Olympic champions, with right and scientific methods.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atamtürk also emphasized that NEU Sports Academy will create development and information platforms for various sports branches such as basketball, volleyball, handball, tennis, swimming, badminton, dance and wrestling. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk said, “Thanks to these platforms, we will implement scientific study programs by providing support to the needs of candidate athletes, families and coaches. Our aim is to provide the opportunity to identify and develop future potential Olympic champions at an early age by creating a scientific selection environment in all areas of sports with the right approaches.”
Genetic tests will determine which sports branch children are predisposed to.
Genetic sports tests are among the leading applications of NEU Sports Academy, which will identify elite athlete candidates at an early age and prepare them for the future with professional programs, which will revolutionize the country’s sports. Genetic sports tests developed by Near East University will be applied under the assurance of Ikas Pharma. After the application form and saliva sample are submitted, many characteristics of the children, such as endurance, explosive power and susceptibility to injury, will be determined through analyzes to be carried out at the Near East University Hospital Medical Genetic Diagnosis Laboratory.
Stating that sports performance is directly related to genetic factors, Near East University Hospital Medical Genetic Diagnosis Laboratory Manager Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören said, “Today, ACTN3 and ACE genes are examined respectively to determine muscle structure and reveal cardiovascular capacity. In this way, people’s sports performances and the sports branches they are prone to can be determined in advance.” Gökhan Uyal, General Manager of İkas Pharma Pharmaceutical Warehouse, said: “This test, which is especially suitable for children, can be easily applied with a saliva sample taken. The analysis helps guide sports choices at an early age and make sports a lifestyle.”
Following genetic tests, physical and psychological fitness tests will be carried out.
Physical fitness tests and psychological fitness tests to be applied after genetic analysis will also determine the suitability of the athlete candidate for the specified sport branch in other aspects. “Our aim is to support children’s healthy living habits and monitor their development,” said Physical Fitness Test Coordinator Specialist Ömer Bozkurt, and added; “We follow the development of children with the physical fitness tests we carry out in accordance with international protocols and prepare ‘Physical Fitness Report Cards’ by developing appropriate training programs for each athlete.” Near East University Sports Tower comes into play when determining suitable training programs for athletes.
Near East University Sports Tower Manager Expert Turgut Zabit said, “Our goal is to prepare appropriate training programs with our expert trainers to increase the athlete’s performance, agility, coordination, strength and endurance, specific to the sports branch.”
Psychological support and dietitian control are a must!
In addition to correct training programs, psychological support and nutritional control are also of great importance for athletes with suitable genetic and physical characteristics to rise to the “elite” category. Specialist Sports Psychologist Gözde Acaray who will serve his athletes at NEU Sports Academy also said, “We will implement psychological guidance programs not only for our athletes but also for our parents and coaches.” Stating that athlete parenthood brings with it financial and moral burdens, Acaray said, “As NEU Sports Academy, we will always support the parents of athletes. In addition, we will improve the mental processes of the athletes by measuring them with regular tests.”
Unless a correct nutrition program is implemented, it is quite difficult to achieve the expected sports success, even if all other necessary conditions are suitable. Dietician Ayşe Kurak Subaşı said, “As NEU Sports Academy, our aim is to conduct body analyzes to determine the needs of athletes, and then to increase their performance by creating the most appropriate nutrition program.”
