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Turkey’s freediving stars sue each other after latest records
Turkey’s freediving stars sue each other after latest records
Two female freediving stars in Turkey have sued each other after trading barbs on social media over what one of them accused the other of violating sports ethics. Click through for the story in photos...
Şahika Ercümen, the reigning world champion in freshwater free-diving in variable weight apnea without fins (VNF) category, broke the record by diving 65 meters in the southern province of Burdur on Oct. 26.
Another famous diver, Derya Can Göçen, improved this record by diving 68 meters in the same lake on Nov. 24.
After the latest dive, Ercümen said in a statement that Göçen violated fair play by moving her record attempt from the Mediterranean to Lake Salda as a “copycat.”
Göçen reacted angrily on her social media accounts, leading to what Ercüment described as “insults and slanders” when she sued her for damages.
A Turkish court recently decided to impose temporary bans on both athletes preventing them from writing about each other on social media until the legal case is resolved.
Both athletes had said that they wanted to dive in Lake Salda to promote the region’s potential for water sports.
Salda Lake in the southern province of Burdur’s Yeşilova district has been reputed as “Turkey’s Maldives” in recent years for its white beach and clear water, becoming a favorite spot for tourists, amid the summer season.
Offering its visitors a visual feast, Salda Lake is a natural beauty of blue and green.
The surroundings of the lake provide accommodation opportunities to tourists at camping areas and facilities. Photography, bird observing, swimming and diving are also possible in the lake for visitors.
The 12-hectare picnic area around the lake was turned into a nature park in 2001 by the Nature Protection and National Parks Regional Directorate.
Some sections of the nature park will host the National Youth Camps, set to be organized by the Youth and Sports Ministry as of this year.
Burdur Governor Şerif Yılmaz said Salda Lake rapidly became a tourism center. With the ongoing works, tourists will be able to spend quality time both in the summer and the winter in Salda Lake and the Salda Ski Center.
Click through for more photos of the two divers battling for a record in Lake Salda...
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