The “Republic Badminton Festival” organized by the Near East University emphasized the 41st year of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the unifying power of sports. The “Republic Badminton Festival” organized by the Near East University Health, Culture and Sports Department was held at the Near East College Secondary School Sports Hall with the participation of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Turkish Cypriot Badminton Federation and the NEU Sports Academy.

The event, which offered a fun experience to badminton lovers, was open to participants from different age groups and levels. During the festival, which lasted all day, many people, from young athletes born in 2018 and 2017 to adult athletes, played matches in turns. While the ‘National Badminton Athletes’ in the general classification played matches among themselves, various games organized for young athletes increased the fun. The event aimed to encourage young people to do sports and popularize badminton, while also reinforcing the national feelings special to the 41st year of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Children and adults, who had fun with DJ performances throughout the organization, enjoyed doing sports together.

The opening speeches of the event were made by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk, Head of the Department of Health, Culture and Sports at the Near East University and Head of the Department of Recreation at the Faculty of Sports Sciences. At the end of the day, all participants were presented with certificates of participation.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk: “Children gained awareness of the meaning and importance of the Republic by both having fun and spending time with sports.”

In his opening speech, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk emphasized the importance they gave to the development and popularization of badminton and stated that the event served this purpose. He said, “This meaningful event organized in the 41st year of our Republic is of great importance in terms of increasing the interest of both our children and our youth in sports.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk stated that badminton is not only a sport but also a bridge between societies and said, “With such events, we establish stronger bonds and spread sports culture by using the universal language of sports. I would like to thank everyone who contributed.”