City gets 54 facilities in 11 months

MERSİN

Turkey plays against Algeria in the Group A game of the basketball tournament of the 17th Mediterranean Games held in Mersin. The official opening of the games will be held this evening. AA photo

The Turkish government will announce Mersin as the Center of Raising Athletes for Olympics, after building 11 new and a total of 54 facilities in such a short amount of time as 11 months for the 17th Mediterranean Games.

Turkish authorities transformed 12 cities into Centers to Raise Sportsman for Olympics for to host big sport events. In order to train future Olympic champions within this planning; Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Erzurum, Trabzon, Samsun, Bursa, Kayseri, Konya, Izmir and Aksaray are included. The complex which was built in Aksaray will serve as the Paralympics Athletes Camp and Training Center.

Turkey is carrying out its biggest sporting event in 10 years with the 17th Mediterranean Games.

Since 2003, Turkey hosted almost 700 national big sporting events. Every experience gained increased its courage. Due to this, in 2011, Turkey was nominated for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics Games in Istanbul by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

‘Can’t wait for Olympics’

The nomination race against Madrid and Tokyo will end on Sept. 7 in Argentina. The voting will take place in Buenos Aires and the city which will host 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Games will be announced.

Mersin, with its deep blue sea, warm climate, rich history, cultural heritage and hospitality of its people, is no doubt a city that fits the attribute of the Mediterranean Games. A sum of $400 million has been invested to turn this beautiful city into a capital of sports which will host the 17th Mediterranean Games. Depending on Turkey’s economic stability and advanced construction technology, the big facilities were completed in a short time with a rare facilitating speed. The facilities’ construction to be built on firm ground and to be enduring was gven special attention, was being built with care to fit the cities’ artistry and the magnificent games.