Dursun Gözel, newly elected president of the Turkish Deaf Sports Federation (TIESF), has set his sights on a standout performance at the 2025 Deaflympics in Japan.
He aims to bring home a plethora of medals with a 200-strong athlete delegation.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) after his election at the Federation's 6th General Assembly, Gözel outlined his ambitious vision for TIESF.
He expressed gratitude to previous leaders and staff for their contributions and emphasized his plans to elevate the federation to new heights.
“We're focused on how to raise the bar and reach the top," Gözel said. "After the general assembly, we visited Japan in mid-November, where the 2025 Deaflympics will take place from Nov. 15-26. We toured the competition venues in Tokyo and shared our suggestions for improvement."
TIESF's participation will span 20 sports across multiple federations, expanding beyond its current 14 disciplines.
Football, wrestling, athletics, taekwondo, volleyball, karate, judo, sailing, table tennis, bowling, golf and shooting are just a few of the sports in which Türkiye plans to compete.
Gözel confidently stated, “We’ll proudly fly our flag in Tokyo across 20 sports, with numerous athletes in tow."
In preparation for the 2025 Games, Gözel emphasized the need for early preparations.
"Currently, we have 11,237 licensed athletes. In previous Olympics, we ranked seventh, but our goal now is to break into the top three – ideally, win the championship," he said. Key disciplines like football, volleyball, wrestling, taekwondo, karate, athletics, and judo boast veteran teams, including past European and World champions. "We’re aiming for 200 athletes in Japan, and we’ll work hard to bring home a host of medals," he added.
Gözel also addressed a longstanding issue: the absence of Türkiye’s hearing-impaired athletes from European and World Championships for the past 1.5 years.
After meeting with the World Deaf Sports Federation President Adam Kosa Gözel announced that hearing-impaired athletes will once again be able to compete in these prestigious events.
"After 21 years of service to this community and as a former European and World Champion, I spoke to Kosa and secured a commitment for our athletes to participate in these tournaments," Gözel explained. "They welcomed the news and confirmed that our athletes will have the opportunity to compete under my leadership."
The inability to compete had disrupted training and preparation schedules, Gözel noted. To address this, he initiated workshops focused on football, futsal, and basketball, with plans to include individual sports soon.
"Our efforts are collaborative," said Gözel. "We’re not working alone. We value input from club presidents and athletes. Our approach is unified – it's not about individual achievements but about the collective strength of the hearing-impaired community."
Looking ahead, TIESF is poised to host international championships in Türkiye.
"Requests are already coming in for us to host events like basketball and athletics competitions. We are in talks with the Youth and Sports Ministry. We are eager to bring these events to our country. Türkiye is a large, welcoming nation, and we’re open to any opportunities," Gözel said, thanking the Turkish president, the Youth and Sports minister, and other officials for their unwavering support.
