Some 2,232 medals bagged in first half of year: Sports minister

ISTANBUL

Türkiye achieved some 2,232 medals in 34 different sports branches in the first six months of 2022, the country’s youth and sports minister has announced.

“Our athletes have bagged some 621 gold, 695 silver and 916 bronze medals in international tournaments,” Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu said while revealing the number of medals.

while remarking on the success of young athletes, the minister said, “There is planned work behind this success,” and highlighted the ministry’s “four-branched system.”

“First, we discover the talented. Then we lead this talent on the right path. Thirdly, we support facilities and take a scientific approach to developing the talents of athletes. Finally, we keep a check on his/her performances.”

When asked how athletes are led, the minister added: “We start collecting data with talent scanning on children from the third grade. If an athlete is at an elite level, then we lead him/her to provincial Sports Training Centers (SEM) or Türkiye Olympics Preparations Centers (TOHM).”

Most talented children used to face a dilemma, such as, “Shall I study at school or continue to perform sports professionally.”

“We swept this dilemma by implementing a National Athlete Scholarship. With this scholarship, we keep their families in the athletes’ progress,” the minister stated.

According to Kasapoğlu, the number of licensed sportspeople has surpassed 11 million in the country with a population of 85 million.

The aim is to “provide a country where sports becomes an indispensable part of our lives.”