An astronomic investment of roughly TL 40 million ($2.1 million) was put forth for the renovation of sports facilities that had been ravaged by the devastating floods of Aug. 11, 2021, and June 27, 2022, in the Azdavay district of Türkiye.

Work has been initiated to equip young athletes with the skills needed to excel in the newly-constructed synthetic turf field, state-of-the-art swimming pool and ultramodern indoor sports hall located in the district.

The Western Black Sea region experienced two major flood disasters on Aug. 11, 2021, and June 27, 2022, wreaking havoc in many districts of Kastamonu.

Notably, Azdavay district was particularly affected, as the raging waters rendered its sports facilities unusable and many of its buildings were left in ruin.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports took decisive action to build sports facilities in the wake of the devastating flood, seeking to ensure that the community would benefit from them for years to come.

Thanks to an investment of almost TL 40 million, construction has commenced on a state-of-the-art synthetic turf football field, indoor semi-Olympic swimming pool, tennis court and indoor sports hall in the Azdavay district.

As a result of the diligent works carried out, the grass football field, indoor sports hall and indoor semi-Olympic swimming pool constructed in the district have been completed.

The investments yielded a successful outcome, bringing about the inaugural establishment of a sports club in the province.

Within the framework of Azdavay 1946 Sports Club, founded by Azdavay Municipality, young footballers have been honing their skills and a team has been formed to compete in the amateur league, ready to take the field on the newly constructed pitch.

In the district's various other sports facilities, it is hoped that talented athletes can be nurtured and developed.

Mayor Nuri Civelek of Azdavay has set the wheels of the project in motion.

He declared: "As is the case in many other areas of our district, the devastating floods of Aug. 11, 2021, wreaked havoc on our sports fields as well. Thanks to the generosity of our Minister of Youth and Sports, our Azdavay turf football field, which had been rendered unusable, has been transformed into an impressive synthetic field, costing a total of TL 12 million with its lighting. The refurbishment is almost complete. I am proud to say that after two decades as mayor of this district, I believe it is the most socially vibrant district in Kastamonu. Our services have been extended even further with the addition of an indoor semi-Olympic swimming pool, a tennis court and an indoor sports hall, all of which are being built on the land of our Azdavay Municipality, at a cost of approximately $1 million. The tender for our tennis court was held on Jan. 4."

"We aspire to cultivate a generation that is actively involved in sports and abstains from detrimental habits," Civelek added, emphasizing that the accessible sports facilities will encourage youth to turn to athletics.

Aydın Uzuner supplemented Civelek's statement, emphasizing: "Azdavay now has a sports complex, which we had been neglecting until now. To ensure that our district is not left behind in the realm of sports, we have formed a football team, which will be competing in the amateur league starting in March. We want to make Azdavay a district where young athletes are nurtured and developed, and with the help of our minister, we now have the necessary infrastructure to do so. Moreover, we are proud to be amongst the top five Kastamonu districts in terms of sports in our educational institutions."