If you happened to be in Turkey on a tourist trip in the middle of Istanbul, Izmir or any coastal town, you may have seen at one point a cluster of men peering round an old TV set, with murmurs of discontent or happiness ricocheting through the crowd
What they will most likely have been watching is not the latest Turkish soap opera, but the allure of the beautiful game – soccer. The game is as divisive as it is unifying for this nation.
Turkish Football
The game that would have had you wondering what the men were interested would have been against arch rivals Galatasary and Fenerbahce. But the outcome – fireworks, flags and honking car horns – would have left you in no doubt who the victors were that day.
Indeed the rise of sport in a country once singularly obsessed with soccer has now reached across the divide. Women are now as likely to be following soccer as playing it.
Women in Turkish sports
Women are also breaking through the glass ceiling and celebrating success in a whole swathe of sports from volleyball and basketball to weightlifting. In fact, it was a woman middle-distance runner Aslı Çakır Alptekin, who won Turkey’s first track gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics.
Other Sports in Turkey
The Olympics team of 66 women and 48 men competed in 16 disciplines and came away with two gold, two silver and one bronze medal. Since Ottoman times, the Turkish national sport has been oil-wrestling (Yağlı güreş), with the town of Edirne hosting the annual tournament.
Although the sport has moved on over the years, Turkey remains strong at European and World level in wrestling disciplines.
Equally the country is proud of its weightlifting successes with famous characters such as Halil Mutlu, being among only four weightlifters in the world to have won three gold medals at three separate Olympics. The rise of weightlifting among women is also celebrated with Nurcan Taylan at the head of the table for her record-breaking endeavours.
Women’s volleyball is also a popular pursuit in Turkey with many young people taking it up to keep fit or play professionally. This has been aided by the performances of Turkey women’s volleyball team in world championships and, more importantly, the TV air time that they are given.
Turks’ love of anything to do with water has also been known since ancient times – whether it be fishing, swimming or snorkeling. Their love of windsurfing has exploded on to the sporting scene in recent years due to the fact that many international championships are now held on the Turkish coast around the Cesme, Datca and Bodrum regions.
And on the beaches, they are also winners. The Turkey national team won silver twice in the Beach Handball World Championships in 2004 and 2006, and even hosted the 2010 Beach Handball World Championships where they took a bronze.
Turkey is regarded as a force to be reckoned with in Europe in basketball, having scooped medals in recent championships and are currently ranked sixth in the world rankings.
It is increasingly being seen as an ideal host of sporting venues and through media coverage are helping to drive the popularity of many sports which have not yet broken into the Turkish conscience yet.
Turkey hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2010, while in 2012 it has been the base for the Tennis Championships featuring the world’s top 8 women’s singles players and the inaugural World Golf Finals for the best in men’s golf.
In its onward march across the world sporting stage, Turkey is now in the midst of bidding for the Olympics in 2020; Golf’s Ryder Cup in 2022 and the European soccer championships also in 2020.
See the Turkish Oil Wrestling Tournament
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