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Vice President Yılmaz: Sport should unite us and strengthen brotherhood
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said sport should strengthen social unity and brotherhood at a sports awards ceremony held at the Conference Hall of the Presidential Complex’s National Library. Yılmaz said Türkiye has 5,555 youth and sports facilities and that national athletes won a total of 4,440 medals at national and international events in 2026.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz attended the Country TV 10th Sports and Sports Awards ceremony held at the Conference Hall of the Presidential Complex’s National Library. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and Minister of Labour and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan also attended the ceremony alongside Yılmaz.
Yılmaz said a Türkiye where young people can develop their talents and women and people with disabilities have a stronger presence in sporting life would also grow its social and societal strength. He said that, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, they were expanding sports investments across the country and regarded ensuring children’s and young people’s access to these opportunities as an important part of their development goals.
Yılmaz said Erdoğan’s background in sport and his position as president were important for Turkish sport, adding that Erdoğan closely followed sports and that this was a major opportunity for the sporting community.
Türkiye has 5,555 sports facilities
Yılmaz said expecting major goals from national athletes also brought the responsibility of preparing the conditions in which they could achieve those goals. He said Türkiye has a total of 5,555 youth and sports facilities, including 1,088 sports halls, 743 swimming pools, 589 youth centres and 97 athlete training and camp centres.
Yılmaz said these facilities provide services in numerous disciplines, from athletics and archery to water sports and winter sports. He added that work at athlete training centres and Türkiye Olympic Preparation Centres was strengthened through coaching, camps, competitions, healthcare, nutrition and scientific performance support.
National athletes’ medal tally
Yılmaz said national athletes had so far won a total of 4,440 medals at national and international events in 2026, including 1,310 gold, 1,315 silver and 1,815 bronze medals.
Yılmaz said 334 athletes competing in 29 sports at the Taranto Mediterranean Games won a total of 111 medals, including 41 gold medals, and that Türkiye finished the event in second place. He said this was the second-highest medal tally in the history of the Mediterranean Games.
Yılmaz said the Turkish women’s national volleyball team rose to the top of the Nations League after retaining its European championship title, while the men’s national team reached the finals of the same league for the first time. He said seven of the 10 medals won at the European Boxing Championships were secured by women athletes, adding that the women’s national team won the championship and Busenaz Sürmeneli was named the tournament’s best female boxer.
Yılmaz said Türkiye finished the European Archery Championships at the top of the country rankings with three gold medals, adding that Elif Gökkır and Mete Gazoz won the mixed recurve team title. He said Türkiye ranked first in taekwondo after winning eight medals, including three golds, and that 11 medals were won in wrestling. Yılmaz also said Rıza Kayaalp won his 13th European championship title.
Yılmaz said Muhammed Furkan Özbek of the national weightlifting team, which won 16 medals, broke a European record. He added that seven medals were won in shooting and that İsmail Nezir in athletics and Ferhat Arıcan in gymnastics achieved European results.
New firsts in Turkish sport
Yılmaz said new firsts had also been recorded in Turkish sport alongside achievements in established disciplines. He said İlke Özyüksel Mihrioğlu won Türkiye’s first European senior title in modern pentathlon, while Bengisu Erçetin and Nazlıcan İnci won Türkiye’s first European silver medal in women’s doubles badminton.
Yılmaz said Hatice Gökçe Emir won Türkiye’s first World Cup medal in rhythmic gymnastics and that Neslihan Yiğit Arın finished third in Europe in women’s singles badminton. He added that Türkiye’s judokas maintained their place on the European podium and that Zeynep Sönmez achieved successful results at international tennis tournaments.
Yılmaz said 15-year-old Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş won a silver medal without suffering a defeat on the top board at the Chess Olympiad and broke the record for the highest ELO rating achieved at his age.
Significant results from Paralympic athletes
Yılmaz also referred to the achievements of Paralympic athletes at European and world championships. He said the national team reached Türkiye’s best-ever result in the history of its European championships with 16 medals at the European Para Swimming Championships in Kocaeli. Yılmaz said Defne Kurt won five gold medals in five races, while Turgut Aslan Yaraman won five medals and Sevilay Öztürk won two at the same championships. He added that Esra Yüce and Umut Ünlü also reached the podium.
Yılmaz said Türkiye won the European team titles in both the women’s and men’s categories in para taekwondo after securing 14 medals. He added that 10 medals were won in para archery and seven in para judo. He said the national para powerlifting team finished second in Europe, while the women’s national goalball team finished the World Championships with a bronze medal.
Yılmaz also said İlker Tuzcu won a world bronze medal in para badminton, Yiğit Doğukan Bozkurt and Merve Sezer won world bronze medals in para rowing, and Zeynep Bozdemir won a world bronze medal in para judo.
“Sport should unite us”
Yılmaz said sport was one of the most genuine fields that foster the nation’s spirit of unity. He said people who support different clubs, live in different cities and come from different generations find shared joy in the national team’s success. He added that Türkiye stood with the same sense of pride when the flag was raised and the national anthem was sung.
Yılmaz said the national team’s strength was rooted in athletes from different parts of Türkiye trusting one another under the same jersey. He stressed the need to strengthen unity, solidarity and brotherhood in sport.
Yılmaz said there had been attempts at provocation at some sporting events aimed at dividing society and setting people against one another. He said the sporting community should not give these attempts credence, adding: “Sport should not divide us; it should unite us and reinforce our brotherhood, unity and solidarity.”
Yılmaz said how the achievements of national athletes are presented to society is as important as the achievements themselves in shaping sports culture. He said the sports media should prioritize accurate information, fair assessment and respect for competition. He added that coverage that values athletes’ efforts, maintains respect for opponents and does not heighten tension among supporters would strengthen sport’s unifying role.
Yılmaz congratulated the athletes who received awards in different disciplines and the people and institutions that contributed to Turkish sport. Following the speeches, awards were presented to the athletes and to those who contributed to Turkish sport.
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