Traditional Turkish sports to be promoted worldwide

The Turkish Traditional Sport Branches Federation (GSDF), under the guidance of its newly elected President Hakan Kazancı, is aiming to promote Turkey's traditional sports globally. In an interview with local press members, Kazancı stated that their primary target was to support the growth of Turkish traditional sports on a local and international level.

"We want to promote traditional sports branches that are under the federation's umbrella, on both the local and international level in order to secure their future, and build their reputations. We want to create opportunities to popularize these sports that belonged to our ancestors, and raise them to a level so that they can contribute to the global sports culture," Kazancı said. He stressed that sportswear unique to the traditional sports were to be reviewed in order to consolidate the tie between the traditional patterns and traditional sports.

"We are also planning to help out clubs by providing sports materials and outfits, and hold programs to encourage establishing more clubs," Kazancı added.

"However, as our main target is to promote our traditional sports globally we want to standardize the rules of our traditional sports with countries that have similar traditional sports and then establish an international traditional sports federation," the GSDF president said.

Confirming that more importance would be given to building new traditional sports facilities, Kazancı said, "We are planning to build new facilities where our traditional sports would be practiced and performed. We will also continue our 'Cirit Ligi' (Jereed League) that started last year. We are also planning to organize 'Shalwar and Belt Wrestling' leagues for the first time."

Cirit also known as Jereed, is a traditional Turkish equestrian team sport, played outdoors on horseback in which the objective is to score points by throwing a blunt wooden javelin at the opposing teams' horsemen. Played by Turkic peoples in Central Asia as an essential sporting and ceremonial game, it was brought to Anatolia during the westward migration in the beginning of the 11th century.

Kazancı confirmed that there were plans to organize the third World Nomad Games in Turkey. The first two events were held with the support of World Ethnosport Confederation. The World Nomad Games are an international sporting competition, dedicated to ethnic sports practiced in Central Asia.

The main participating were Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Russia (especially the Sakha, Buryatia, Altay, Kalmykia, and Bashkortostan republics) as well as other countries like Mongolia, Turkey, and Afghanistan.

"The World Nomad Games are accepted as the Olympics of the Turkic World. We have come to a mutual agreement with member countries to hold the event in Turkey. If our ministry and the general management approve, it will be held in our country," Kazancı said. Talking about the GSDF, its newly elected president said, "There are eight traditional sports branches in our federation's structure. They include cirit, sleigh, archery on horse, belt wrestling, shalwar wrestling, harness racing and traditional sleigh. As of 2016, there are 185 clubs and 12,630 athletes in all branches."