Turkish PM’s son shoots arrows at opening of Archers Lodge competition

ISTANBUL

Bilal Erdoğan said he had been practicing with arrows since the opening of the lodge but had not attended any competitions. DHA Photo

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son, Bilal Erdoğan, attended the Conquest Cup archery competition on May 28, in the new Archers Lodge (Okçular Tekkesi) located in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood.

At the opening of the competition Bilal Erdoğan shot two traditional arrows, missing the center of the target but getting two points for his shots. A traditional arrow trainer gave him a shooting ring before his shots, and the prime minister’s son said “Ya Hak” (Oh God) while firing his arrow.

Speaking to reporters, he said he had been practicing with arrows since the opening of the lodge but had not attended any competitions.

“I have experience in shooting with both the traditional and the Olympic arrows here,” he added, also calling on the media to cover traditional archery more.



Bilal Erdoğan is the founding member of the board of trustees of the Okçular Foundation. The Archers Lodge was transferred to the Okçular Foundation recently from KİPTAŞ, a housing company subordinate to the local municipality.

He was one of the high-profile names whose wiretapped phone conversations were released after the massive graft probe that started on Dec. 17, 2013. One of these leaked wiretaps allegedly reveals a phone call between Erdoğan and KİPTAŞ General Manager İsmet Yıldırım, regarding the transfer of the Archers Lodge from KİPTAŞ to the Service for Youth and Education Foundation of Turkey (TÜRGEV), a charity NGO that counts Erdoğan among its board members, apparently bypassing the necessary legal procedures.

The alleged voice of Yıldırım is heard saying that the transfer of the lodge could be made possible through the paying of its allowance, as around 20 million Turkish Liras was spent on the renovation of the building. The voice, allegedly of Erdoğan, is heard replying that Yıldırım should not be too worried about the law, as the necessary legal procedures could be carried out later on.