State ceremonies and sports events were staged nationwide Sunday in Istanbul with the Istanbul 2020 bid playing a prominent role in the celebration of Youth and Sports Day, one of the world’s only national holidays created to help make sport and healthy lifestyles an integral part of young people’s lives.
Turkey’s Youth and Sports Day has been celebrated every year since 1938 in commemoration of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who believed that sport and the values of fair play and teamwork should be fundamental to Turkish society.
There were a wide range of Olympic and Paralympic sports which people watched and took part in. Istanbul 2020 sponsored a fun run from Dolmabahce Palace to Bebek Park in the Besiktas area of Istanbul. More than 2,000 people of all ages ran in the six kilometre Istanbul 2020-branded course.
Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports, Suat Kilic, put the finishing touches to the world’s largest ground painting – a 12,000m mural featuring a high jumper over the Bosphorus Bridge and hands joining in friendship from Europe to Asia. More than 250 students participated in creating the painting which was officially confirmed as a world record-breaker by the Guinness Book of Records.
Hasan Arat, Chairman of Istanbul 2020 said, “Istanbul 2020 aims to realize the full potential of Turkey’s 31 million people under 25 through mass sport participation and structured education and entrepreneurial programs. Istanbul 2020 will be a bridge to a new generation of connected global citizens and young leaders in sport, business, engineering, the media and volunteering”.
Ugur Erdener, President of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey, said, “Youth and Sports Day is one of the most enthusiastically celebrated holidays in Turkey, and having a national youth festival with a specific sports angle, is unique to our country. The investment in sports infrastructure will benefit all levels of sport participation in Turkey from grassroots through to elite level. Many of the state-of-the-art facilities that will serve Olympic athletes in 2020 will serve as both elite and recreational sport resources after the Games”.
