Sport in Turkey | |
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.jpg) Team Turkey at2008 Summer Olympics | |
Sport in Turkey is governed by theMinistry of Youth and Sports, which oversees various sports federations and infrastructure. Turkey's participation in international sport competitions has started in the1924 Olympic Games, continued with notable successes in wrestling, weightlifting, and boxing.[1] Domestically, multi-sport clubs likeFenerbahçe S.K., the club which provides the most national athletes, have contributed to the development of various sports disciplines, achieving significant success.[2] The focus on women's sports has also intensified, especially with municipality clubs of the big cities.[3]
Among all sports, the most popular one isfootball.[4] Turkey's top teams includeFenerbahçe,Galatasaray andBeşiktaş. In 2000, Galatasaray won theUEFA Cup andUEFA Super Cup. Two years later, theTurkish national team finished third in the2002 FIFA World Cup Finals in Japan and South Korea, while in 2008, the national team reached the semi-finals of theUEFA Euro 2008 competition. TheAtatürk Olympic Stadium inIstanbul hosted the2005 and2023 UEFA Champions League Final, while theŞükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul hosted the2009 UEFA Cup Final. Turkey will host theUEFA Euro 2032 along withItaly.
Other popular mainstream sports includebasketball andvolleyball. Turkey hosted the Finals ofEuroBasket 2001 and the2010 FIBA World Cup the men's national team finishing second in both events. The national team also reached the quarter-finals of the2006 FIBA World Cup, and2014 FIBA World Cup. At the club level,Anadolu Efes (then known as Efes Pilsen) won theFIBA Korać Cup in 1996, finished second in theFIBA Saporta Cup in 1993, and made it to the Final Four of theEuroLeague in 2000 and 2001 as the first Turkish club in history.[5] In the following years,Beşiktaş have come out as the winners of theFIBA EuroChallenge in the2011–12 season with only a single defeat, all stages of the tournament included.[6] Later on,Galatasaray won theEuroCup title in2016. In the following2016–17 Euroleague season,Fenerbahçe won Europe's highest-tier basketball league, theEuroLeague, as the first Turkish club ever,[7] which was followed byAnadolu Efes in the2020–21 Euroleague season.[8]Turkey women's national basketball team won the silver medal in the European Championship in 2011 whileFenerbahçe Women's Basketball won their first Euroleague in 2023. Turkish basketball players such asMehmet Okur,Hedo Türkoğlu andErsan İlyasova have also been successful in theNBA. Active Turkish NBA players includeAlperen Şengün andAdem Bona.Sevgi Uzun plays inWNBA, the first player ever beingNevriye Yılmaz.
Women's volleyball teams, namelyFenerbahçe,Eczacıbaşı andVakıfBank, have won numerousEuropean championship titles and medals.VakıfBank is currently one of the best volleyball teams in the world, 3-time winner of theClub World Championship and 4 timeEuropean championship winner. The yellow-black team is also the most successful sports team of Turkey in International arena with the title of the most international trophy (9) holder of Turkey. Fenerbahçe also won theClub World Championship as the first Turkish club ever in2010.[9] TheTurkish women's national volleyball team won a bronze medal in European Championship in 2011. In 2023, they'vewon every competition that they've partaken, including European and World tournaments, without losing a single match. That success placed them at 1st place inFIVB Senior World Rankings.
Turkish Federation of Traditional Sports regulates the traditional sports. The most prominent isoil wrestling ("Yağlı güreş"), originating inOttoman times.[10]Edirne hosts the annualKırkpınar oiled wrestling tournament since 1361.[11]
Turkey has risen to prominence in a number ofsporting areas in recent decades.Football has seen a rapid transformation earning it third place in the coveted2002 FIFA World Cup. Its domestic teams are dominated byBeşiktaş,Fenerbahçe, andGalatasaray. Of these,Fenerbahçe's European triumph came in the now defunctBalkans Cup in1968. Galatasaray has seen success after the 1990s, winning the 2000UEFA Cup andUEFA Super Cup. In recent years, Turkey has exported many of its players into top foreign teams, includingInternazionale,FC Barcelona,Parma,Milan, andBayern Munich, among others. As well as sending players abroad, the Turkish league has also attracted players into Turkey. World class players such asRadomir Antić,Toni Schumacher,Gheorghe Hagi,Giga Popescu,Cláudio Taffarel,Mário Jardel,Óscar Córdoba,Frank de Boer,Pierre van Hooijdonk,John Carew,Alex,Franck Ribéry,Nicolas Anelka,Mateja Kežman,Roberto Carlos,Milan Baroš,Harry Kewell,Dani Güiza,Giovani dos Santos,Guti,Quaresma,Hugo Almeida,Dirk Kuyt,Didier Drogba,Wesley Sneijder,Robin van Persie,Mario Gómez and many more have played at some point or continue to play in Turkey.
Basketball is gaining popularity in Turkey.Turkey came in second at theEuropean Basketball Championship2001 in Istanbul. Turkey also came in ninth at the2002 FIBA World Cup.Several Turkish nationals, includingErsan İlyasova,Hedo Türkoğlu,Mehmet Okur,Semih Erden,Ömer Aşık, andEnes Kanter, have played in the prestigiousNational Basketball Association, generally considered the world's top basketball league. Turkey's greatest success in international basketball came when it hosted the2010 FIBA World Cup, finishing second behind theUSA.Hedo Türkoğlu captained the national side and made the all-tournament team. Turkey also advanced to the quarter-finals in the2006 FIBA World Cup, achieving a non-expected sixth place. Turkey reached the quarter-finals again eight years later at the2014 FIBA World Cup. TheTurkey women's national basketball team won the silver medal at theEuroBasket Women in2011.
At a club level, the most successful team has beenFenerbahçe S.K. andAnadolu Efes S.K., the latter having won theFIBA Korać Cup in 1996 and theEuroleague in2021 and2022.Fenerbahçe currently has the mostEuroleague Final Four appearances (seven) and was the first Turkish team to win the title in the2016–17 season.Galatasaray won theEuroCup title, Europe's second-tier basketball league, in2016. Past achievements also includeBeşiktaş'FIBA EuroChallenge title in the2012. In women's basketball,Galatasaray won the 2008-09FIBA EuroCup, finished third in the same competition in 2007–08, and also was runner-up in the 2009FIBA Europe SuperCup Women.
The Turkish basketball club with the highest average home league attendance per league season:
| # | Club | League | Average |
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| 2024-25 | Fenerbahçe | EuroLeague | 10,785[12] |
| 2023-24 | Anadolu Efes | EuroLeague | 12,165[13] |
Volleyball, especially women's volleyball, is a popular sport in Turkey. TheTurkey women's national volleyball team secured 6th place at theFIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in 2010 in Japan, and won a bronze medal at theWomen's European Volleyball Championship in 2011 in Serbia. Turkey's top women's volleyball team isVakıfBank, which went undefeated to win three championships at theFIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship in 2013, 2017, and 2018. The same team won five championships (again going undefeated each time) in theCEV Women's Champions League in 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2022. They took gold medals at both theChallenge Cup and theWomen's Top Volley International in the 2007–08 season. Another prominent Turkish women's volleyball club isFenerbahçe, which won theFIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship with an undefeated record in2010,[14] took the silver medal in theCEV Women's Champions League in the 2009–10 season, and finished in third place during the 2010–11 season.
They've won 22 consecutive matches in 2023. In that period, they completed theNations League,European Championship andOlympic Qualification Round /FIVB World Cup matches undefeated. Beingthe first team to do so in history and securing the 1st place in world rankings.[15]
Turkey featured a men's national team inbeach volleyball that competed at the2018–2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.[16]
Planegliding,hang gliding,parachuting,paragliding, engine powered flights andskydiving are regulated byTurkish Aeronautical Association andDirectorate General of Civil Aviation.
Archery is among the traditional sports.Mete Gazoz achieved #1 spot in world rankings in 2022.
Athletics is another fast improving sport.Süreyya Ayhan set the1500m world record in 2003 andElvan Abeylegesse set a new5000m record in 2004. In2010 European Athletics ChampionshipsAlemitu Bekele andElvan Abeylegesse won gold and silver medals respectively in Women's 5000 metres andElvan Abeylegesse medal in Women's 10000 metres.Nevin Yanıt won first European Championship in a sprint race for Turkey by winning gold in Women's 100 metres hurdles. In2011 European Athletics Indoor ChampionshipsKemal Koyuncu won silver in Men's 1500 metres andHalil Akkas won bronze in Men's 3000 metres. In 2017,Ramil Guliyev ofFenerbahçe won Turkey's first ever gold medal in the men's 200 metre race at the2017 World Championships, being the second white athlete in history to achieve this feat.[17] The country also hosts major marathons such asIstanbul Marathon.
Gülşen Degener,Güzin Müjde Karakaşlı,Semih Saygıner andTayfun Taşdemir are prominentcarom billiards players.
Turkey is regularly competing in international tournaments like the Chess Olympiad. Notable figures include GrandmastersSuat Atalık andKübra Öztürk, as well asVahap Şanal, the first Turkish male to surpass a 2600FIDE rating.
The country participates in international competitions such as theInternational Federation for Equestrian Sports World Cup, with events held in cities likeIstanbul andBursa.
Belek inAntalya is a key destination. The country hosts international tournaments such as theTurkish Airlines Open, which is part of theEuropean Tour.
The country has seen success in both artistic and rhythmicgymnastics, with athletes likeFerhat Arıcan andİbrahim Çolak bringing home medals from European and World Championships.
The country hosts the Presidential CyclingTour of Turkey, a UCI ProSeries event. Turkish cyclists likeAhmet Örken andBatuhan Özgür have earned recognition.
Turkish Gridiron Football First League is mostly inhabited by university teams.
Rugby League is a relatively new sport in Turkey, so far five clubs make up the rugby league in Turkey, observer status within theRugby League European Federation is expected.[18]
2010 Beach Handball World Championships were held between June 23–27 in Antalya. TheTurkish national team won twice the silver medal at the World Championships in 2004 and 2006, and the bronze medal in 2010. TheTurkish women's national team also won the silver medal at the 2004 World Championships.Yeliz Özel of Ankara is a Turkish handballer.
Turkey hosted the2009 World Fencing Championships held from September 30 to October 8 inAntalya. Turkey competes in all three fencing disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre.
Turkish athletes have earned international success, particularly in taekwondo, where they have won Olympic medals and World Championship titles. Karate fighters from Turkey achieve top results in European and World Championships, while kickboxers and Muay Thai fighters have also secured world titles.Buse Naz Çakıroğlu andBusenaz Sürmeneli have both secured medals in olympics.Avni Yıldırım achieved international success in boxing. SomeMMA athletes includeİbo Aslan andGökhan Saki.
Motorsports have become popular, especially following the inclusion of theRally of Turkey to theFIAWorld Rally Championship calendar in 2003,[19] and the inclusion of theTurkish Grand Prix to theFormula One racing calendar in 2005.[20] Other important annual motorsports events which are held at theIstanbul Park racing circuit include theMotoGP Grand Prix of Turkey, theFIAWorld Touring Car Championship, theGP2 Series and theLe Mans Series. From time to time, Istanbul andAntalya also host the Turkish leg of theF1 Powerboat Racing championship; while the Turkish leg of theRed Bull Air Race World Championship, anair racing competition, takes place above theGolden Horn in Istanbul.
Thetrack located at Istanbul has aseating capacity of 155,000 people (biggest in Europe), is just over 5,340 m long and runs anti-clockwise. The track was designed byHermann Tilke, designer of theSepang,Bahrain andShanghai tracks.GP2 series also include a Turkish Team (Petrol Ofisi FMS International) and a Turkish Driver,Jason Tahincioglu.
Cem Bölükbaşı became the first Turkish driver in Formula 2 in 2023.
Kenan Sofuoğlu becameworld champion in Supersport three times in 2007, 2010, and 2012.Toprak Razgatlıoğlu gotSuperbike World Championship in 2023 and 2024.
Seda Kaçan, the country's second female car racing driver afterAnn Tahincioğlu, is also her country's first international race driver.[21] She secured the championship title in the DSG class of the 2024TCR European Endurance, becoming the first woman to do so.[22][23]
Turkey has had success in international competitions, including theISSF World Cups and the Olympics. Notable shooters likeYusuf Dikeç andİsmail Keleş.
Facilities include the Turkish Tennis Federation Complex in Ankara and the Garanti Koza Arena in Istanbul. Turkey hosts professional events such as the Istanbul Open (ATP) and Istanbul Cup (WTA). There are WTA winners such asÇağla Büyükakçay,İpek Soylu andZeynep Sönmez.Marsel İlhan is the first Turkish male player to reach the top 100 inATP rankings.
Melek Hu is a prominent table tennis player.
The country hosts international triathlon events. Turkish athletes likeGülşah Günenç have gained recognition for their performances at international competitions.
Diving: Turkey accepts bothCMAS andSSI regulations.
Fishing: cannot be done from any boat without a license, even if you're an amateur. You must apply to have one by submitting someI.D. cards and paying a fee 150 Turkish Lira for two years. Details concerning fishing zones, the minimum sizes of fish that can be caught, and the numbers of fish that can be caught per person can be obtained from the Department of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Rafting: Turkey's rivers provide conditions for canoeing and rafting.
Sailing: Turkey has four bordering seas; theBlack Sea,Marmara Sea,Aegean Sea, andMediterranean Sea, so cruising is a popular sport.
Windsurfing &kitesurfing: The bays aroundÇeşme,Alaçatı,Bodrum, andDatça peninsulas as well as Antalya have wind conditions for windsurfing. Famous windsurferÇağla Kubat is also from Turkey.
Weightlifting has been another successful sport for Turkey, regularly relied upon to provide gold medals in theOlympics. Its most famousweightlifters,Naim Süleymanoğlu andHalil Mutlu, and among womenNurcan Taylan. Some major events includeBosphorus Cross Continental Swim.
Some destinations forwinter sports include;Davraz,Kartepe,Palandöken,Sarıkamış andUludağ.
Wrestling is considered as anational sport. Turkey has most of its gold medals in wrestling. Notable Olympic champions includeYaşar Doğu,Hamza Yerlikaya, andTaha Akgül.
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