The 11+ Age Inter-Club Long Course Swimming Championship, held by the Northern Cyprus Aquatic Sports Federation at the Near East University Olympic Swimming Pool, saw 210 athletes compete fiercely over three days, setting 10 new TRNC records.
The 11+ Age Inter-Club Long Course Swimming Championship, organized by the Northern Cyprus Aquatic Sports Federation for the first time in 10 years, was hosted by the Near East University Olympic Swimming Pool. Over three days, 210 athletes from 19 clubs competed fiercely in the 50-meter Olympic pool.

The Long Course Swimming Competitions, crucial for supporting swimmer development and enhancing inter-club competition, provided athletes with the experience to compete not only at the national level but also on international platforms. The 50-meter long course competitions at the Near East University Olympic Swimming Pool also allowed swimmers to develop their endurance, technical proficiency, and high-tempo swimming skills. Training and competitions held at the Near East University Olympic Swimming Pool, the island’s only indoor long-course pool, helped athletes develop their time management, distance control, and water endurance skills at a professional level.

The competition marked a milestone for Northern Cyprus swimming in terms of both athleticism and technical infrastructure. The electronic timing system, used for the first time in the event, brought professionalism at international standards. Thanks to this technological infrastructure, race results were announced quickly and transparently. Ten new Northern Cyprus long-course records were set during the competitions.

Ten new records were broken!
The three-day 11+ Year Old Inter-Club Long-Course Swimming Championships, held at the Near East University Olympic Swimming Pool, featured exciting competitions and made history with the setting of ten new TRNC records. In the 16-year-old category, Boran Bora set new records in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 2:02.69, Demir Redif Demirdağ set a new record in the 15-year-old 1500-meter freestyle with a time of 19:05.82, and Barkan Cem Aykut set a new record in the 16-year-old 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:09.67.

In the 14-year-old category, Özkan Mazhar broke two records with times of 2:30.15 in the 200-meter medley and 5:21.56 in the 400-meter medley. The Tüfekçi Sports Club Men’s Relay Team set two team records with times of 1:42.59 in the 4×50-meter freestyle and 1:54.82 in the 4×50-meter medley. Özgül Çetin set two new individual records in the 18-year-old 50-meter butterfly with a time of 30.39 and the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 1:07.01, while Nermin Ulaç, competing in the 19-year-old 200-meter medley, set a new TRNC record with a time of 2:44.24.

Near East University wins 53 medals!
The fierce competition among the teams at the championship was also noteworthy. Hundreds of athletes competed in four different categories, and Near East University won a total of 53 medals: 27 gold, 19 silver, and 7 bronze. NEU swimmers took first place in the “Star Men” category with 8,734 points. The Near East University Star Men’s Team, consisting Akman Tüzünkan, Özkan Mazhar, Dünya Ahmet Özdemir, Erten Can Kasımoğlu, Erten Kasımoğlu, and Muhammed Aydın, also drew attention with their individual achievements. Akman Tüzünkan passed the Turkish Swimming Federation’s 14-year-old age limit in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke, and 50-meter backstroke categories. Özkan Mazhar broke the 14-year-old record in the 200-meter medley long course and 400-meter medley categories, also passing the Turkish Swimming Federation’s 14-year-old age limit.

Near East University athlete Barkan Cem Aykut, who competed in the Youth Men’s category, passed the Turkish Swimming Federation’s 16-, 17-, and 18-year-old age limit in the 200-meter breaststroke, 100-meter breaststroke, and 50-meter breaststroke categories. Aykut also broke the 100-meter breaststroke long course record for the 15-, 16-, 17-, and 18-year-old age group. Near East University also competed in the “Star Girls” category, finishing fifth as a team.

Avni Cankurt: “We provided a professional environment where the athletes could test not only their physical capabilities but also their mental toughness.”
Avni Cankurt, Director of the Near East University Olympic Swimming Pool, said, “We are very proud to host the return of long-course swimming competitions after a 10-year hiatus. As Near East University, we provide our young people with international-standard swimming opportunities, as we do in every branch of sports. This championship is not just a competition, it has also served as a platform for our young athletes to prepare for the future.”

Avni Cankurt added, “These competitions offer a professional atmosphere where athletes can test not only their physical capabilities but also their mental resilience. We thank all the athletes and clubs who participated and hope to continue this excitement even further together.”