The “Vision in Sports” seminar organized by the Recreation Department of the Near East University Faculty of Sports Sciences brought together the presidents of the TRNC’s Basketball, Badminton, Athletics and Gymnastics federations at the Near East University. The seminar, which took place with intense participation, was moderated by Near East University Health, Culture and Sports Department Head and Sports Sciences Faculty Recreation Department Head Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk.

In the seminar held with the participation of Basketball Federation President Ertuğ Nasıroğlu, Badminton Federation President Fırat Deniz, Athletics Federation President Ferhat Sakallı and Gymnastics Federation President Hasan Sapsızoğlu, issues such as the effects of sports on education and development of young people, promotion of sports activities for young people, development of infrastructure and facilities, dissemination of sports, promotion of sports events internationally and increasing the sports tourism potential of the TRNC were discussed.

Following the event, Near East University Faculty of Sports Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Mehtap Tiryakioğlu presented a plaque of appreciation to the participating federation presidents.

Recent success stories offer inspiring examples!

Near East University Health, Culture and Sports Department Head and Sports Sciences Faculty Recreation Department Head Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk, who moderated the seminar, emphasized that sports culture is extremely important for a healthy social structure and strong sports achievements. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atamtürk said, “With our Vision in Sports event, we aimed to bring together the presidents of our federations, who have made significant contributions to the country’s sports, to highlight their visions and to strengthen the culture of doing sports.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk stated that the success stories put forward by gymnastics and badminton federations, especially in recent times, provide inspiring examples of how to shape the vision of sports, said, “Seeing important developments in fields such as athletics and basketball proves that success is possible even for a country under embargoes with an effective vision.”

Assoc. Dr. Hakan Atamtürk said, “I hope this seminar will be an important step in expanding the vision of sports and strengthening the culture of doing sports in society.”

Sports culture in the TRNC continues to grow stronger despite embargoes

The federation presidents, who came together at the seminar, stated that they continue to train young athletes despite the embargoes and emphasized that sports are of great importance for the promotion of the country. Emphasizing that gymnastics has received high demand recently and that its success rate has increased strongly, TRNC Gymnastics Federation President Hasan Sapsızoğlu said, “In a short time, we reached 6 thousand children from 150 children, from five coaches to 180 coaches and 20 referees.” Stating that they achieved successful results, Sapsızoğlu stated that they achieved second and third place in inter-school gymnastics in Turkey. He also said that they achieved team success at the junior level and that they have a ten-year goal to produce competitors in the youth and star categories.

Sapsızoğlu said, “Our athlete Nida Topu became the Turkish champion in the bar category among 132 athletes and 19 teams in the junior category. With the influence of this success, as a result of our meetings with the President of the Turkish Gymnastics Federation, Suat Çelen, we are taking three of our athletes to the national team camp in Izmir for five days every month, to train them for the 2032 Olympics.”

Basketball Federation President Ertuğ Nasıroğlu said that basketball has experienced a significant decline compared to previous periods and that they are making all the necessary efforts to correct this situation.

Badminton Federation President Fırat Deniz also emphasized that they have made significant progress and gained many athletes, especially in the last eight years. Deniz said that badminton has become a common sport in the TRNC and that this transformation is a result of the efforts carried out by the federation. Athletics Federation President Ferhat Sakallı stated that the responsibilities of the athletic period still continue and said, “We are no longer on a journey individually, but together with many children and young people. In this journey, we do whatever is necessary to help them reach the best.”