Turkish NOC News
20 September 2024 - Find here the latest news from the National Olympic Committee: events, courses, general assemblies and elections, trophies and much more.
20 September 2024 - The 36th Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race, one of the world’s most prestigious open-water swimming events, saw over 2,800 swimmers from five continents take part in its unique course connecting two continents (Europe and Asia) on 25 August. Organised by the TOC and sponsored by Samsung Türkiye, the race was held in coordination with the Istanbul Governorship and in cooperation with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, along with 26 public, private and non-governmental entities. More details here at www.olimpiyat.org.tr
03 June 2024 - Two multi-purpose modular sports halls were inaugurated on 25 May in the Antakya and Defne districts of Hatay province, Türkiye, which were affected by the 6 February 2023 earthquake. These facilities were built as part of a long-term recovery plan, with financial support from the IOC and the European Olympic Committees (EOC), and through local collaboration between the TOC, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Hatay Governorship, and the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency. These facilities are aimed at integrating sport into the lives of children, supporting their physical and mental development and contributing to their education. The event also marked the opening of the "BtcTurk Sports Schools", an initiative launched in collaboration with TOC’s Official Sponsor, BtcTurk. Among the personalities who attended the opening was TOC President and IOC Member Uğur Erdener, who also delivered a speech and read messages from the IOC President, EOC President Spyros Capralos, and EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi. The event concluded with children's sports activities. Full details here.
27 February 2024 - Following the TOK Athletes’ Commission meeting, a Career Transition for Athletes webinar, open to all Olympic athletes, was organised in collaboration with Deloitte Türkiye and TikTok Türkiye. Approximately 100 Olympic athletes took part in the online training sessions, entitled "Career Transition for Athletes: Roadmap for Active Sports Careers and Beyond" and "Effective Use of Social Media". Full details here.
04 September 2023 - Over 2,600 swimmers from 77 countries took part in the 35th Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race, the world's only swimming race from Asia to Europe. This edition was organised by the TOC, with sponsorship from Samsung Türkiye. Under the auspices of the Istanbul Governorship and in cooperation with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and 26 other public, private, and non-governmental entities, this Sport for All- themed event saw local and foreign swimmers covering the 6.5-kilometre course. More info at www.olimpiyat.org.tr.
06 June 2023 - Over 900 female students took part in the "Empowering Girls Through Sport Project" organised in Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa on 20 and 21 May. Organised by the TOC and supported by Olympic Solidarity, the project, launched in 2021, provides sports training to girls aged between 10 and 14 who are in secondary education. By integrating sport into their lives, the TOC aims to enhance their self-confidence, self-esteem and educational pursuits. For the event, the students received sports equipment such as tracksuits, t-shirts and shoes. They also met and took part in sports activities with Eda Erdem, a two-time Olympian who captained the women’s national volleyball team at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. She is also the Chair of the TOC's Athletes’ Commission. Full details here.
29 August 2022 - Some 2,400 swimmers from the five continents swam from Asia to Europe on the occasion of the 34th Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race on 21 August. The 6.5km race was organised by the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC), coordinated with the Governorship of Istanbul and supported by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Deputy Governor of Istanbul Niyazi Erten, TOC President and IOC Member Uğur Erdener, and Austrian Olympic Committee President and IOC Member Karl Stoss were among the guests who attended the race, held under the theme of “Sports for Everyone”. More info here.
10 September 2021 - Some 2,465 swimmers from 55 countries took part in the 33rd Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race held at the end of August. Organised annually by the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC), the 6.5km race is the only swimming contest in the world which sees competitors swim from Asia to Europe. This year’s race was held without spectators in line with the strict COVID-19 protocols which were put in place by the organisers, including social distancing and hygiene measures. Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, Istanbul Deputy Governor Niyazi Erten and TOC President and IOC Member Uğur Erdener were among the prominent guests who attended the race. More details here.
15 March 2021 - Olympic wrestling champion Taha Akgül was a special guest on the Turkish Olympic Committee’s (TOC) Sports Culture and Olympic Education Project (OLI) which was streamed live to more than 600 children on 5 March. The programme allows children to take part in a series of educational classes, focusing on key areas such as fair play, healthy eating, environmental awareness and the Olympic Games. Due to COVID-19, the sessions are being held online so that children can continue to benefit from this project, which has reached more than two million school kids since 2006. More details here.
01 February 2021 - The Turkish Olympic Committee has confirmed that the 33rd edition of the Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race will be held in Istanbul on 22 August 2021. The world-famous swim sees swimmers from around the world compete in a race from Kanlıca on the Asian side of Istanbul to Kuruçeşme Cemil Topuzlu Park on the European side. More info here.
23 November 2020 - The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) has launched the “TOC Academy”, a new digital platform which will act as a support tool for athletes, national teams, coaches and technical staff in areas such as performance, nutrition, injury prevention, handling stress, social media and communications. In addition to helping boost performances on the field of play, the content is also designed to help athletes develop their careers off the field of play. The existing content will be regularly updated by the TOC, and new modules will be added throughout the year. More details here.
16 November 2020 - The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) and the Turkish Triathlon Federation held a technical course for triathlon coaches from 25 to 29 October in Ankara. The five-day course, which was supported by Olympic Solidarity, was led by the International Triathlon Union (ITU)-appointed coaches Alexander Kochetkov and Vicent Beltran Alcala. Participants took part in theory-based and practical sessions, which were then reinforced through evaluation meetings where individual feedback was provided. More details here.
11 September 2020 - The 32nd Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race featured 1,765 swimmers from 34 countries. The race is organised annually by the Turkish Olympic Committee, and it is the only swimming contest in the world which sees competitors swim from Asia to Europe. This year’s race took place without spectators due to the strict COVID-19 measures put in the place by the event organisers. From start to finish, every stage of the race respected social distancing rules and other public health measures aimed at protecting the health and wellbeing of all those taking part. Full details here.
29 June 2020 - Turkish Olympians, national athletes and thousands of sports fans joined the Turkish Olympic Committee’s (TOC) Instagram live workout to celebrate Olympic Day 2020. Turkish athletes also held discussions with followers on ways to stay active and healthy during these unprecedented times of social distancing and lockdown. TOC staff also took part in the workout session. In addition, the TOC launched a new webpage entitled “Future Olympians”, which seeks to promote and spread sports culture amongst the younger generation in Turkey. Full details here.
31 January 2020 - The Turkish Gymnastics Federation and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) organised a technical course for coaches from 21 to 25 January in the city of Bolu. This course was run in conjunction with the Turkish NOC and received financial assistance from Olympic Solidarity. Some 30 coaches from 27 towns in Turkey took part. The course focused on the best practices for teaching gymnastics to children aged 6 to 9, and helped the participants to improve their general knowledge of this sport. The course was hosted by Slovenian gymnast Aljaz Pegan, a European and world champion who represents artistic gymnasts on the FIG Athletes’ Commission. Full details here.
13 December 2019 - The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) and International Canoeing Federation (ICF) delivered a workshop for canoe and kayak coaches in the city of Antalya from 6 to 8 December. The workshop was conducted by the ICF and the Turkish Canoeing Federation, with financial support from the TOC and the Olympic Solidarity fund. The workshop is part of the TOC’s “Coach Development Seminars and Support Programmes”, which aim to develop the skills and quality of professional sports coaches in Turkey. Among other subjects, the workshop focused on preparations for competitions, competition rules, preventive medicine in sport and training planning. Full details here.
3 December 2019 - Applications for the 32nd Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race will open on 4 January 2020. The race will take place on Sunday 12 July 2020 and is expected to attract more than 2,400 swimmers. Organised since 1989 by the Turkish NOC, the event is the only competitive swimming contest to cross two continents, Asia and Europe. More info here.
05 August 2019 - More than 2,400 swimmers from 59 countries competed in the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC)’s 31st Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race in Istanbul on 21 July. The 6.5km Race began in Kanlıca, on the Asian side of Istanbul, and ended in Kuruçeşme Cemil Topuzlu Park on the European side, which makes it the only official competitive swimming race to cross between two continents. Exactly half of this year’s quota was made up of international swimmers, more than ever before. Thousands of fans attended the event, including IOC Vice-President and TOC President Uğur Erdener and Samsung Electronics Turkey President Daehyun Kim. More info here.
27 May 2019 - The first-ever international technical seminar for skateboarding coaches, referees, athletes and team managers took place from 7 to 11 May at the headquarters of the Turkish NOC in Istanbul. The seminar – jointly organised by the World Skate Organisation and the Turkish Skateboarding Federation, and funded by Olympic Solidarity – was attended by 27 participants from the five continents. The seminar provided athletes with the opportunity to improve their skills, and master the latest techniques, knowledge and trends in the skateboarding world. Skateboarding will make its Olympic debut at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. More details here.
26 March 2019 - The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC), International Judo Federation (IJF) and Turkish Judo Federation have concluded a two week-long seminar for coaches in Turkey designed to further develop the sport in the country. Supported by Olympic Solidarity, the course ran from 3 to 16 March in Antalya. A total of 68 coaches took part in a wide range of classes and physical activities designed to teach participants new techniques and improve their overall knowledge of the sport. The IJF sent a team of technical experts to Antalya, including IJF Academy Director Envic Galea, IJF Sport Director Florin-Daniel Lascau, Academy Ambassador Rock Gezeker, and coaches Tiber Kozcl and Mark Huzing. Full details here.
10 December 2018 - The Turkish Olympic Committee, the International Canoeing Federation (ICF) and the Turkish Canoeing Federation held a seminar for canoeing coaches in Antalya. The technical course, which was supported by the Olympic Solidarityfund, took place from 16 to 18 November. The seminar focused on key areas such as preparation for the World Championships and Olympic Games, planning, development, macro plans for canoeing clubs, leadership roles for canoeing athletes and coaches,as well as nutrition. The NOC provided financial support for the seminar. More info here.