Harnessing the therapeutic force of sports, the Ministry of Youth and Sports organized an array of sports activities for the youth and children in the aftermath of last year's twin earthquakes that ravaged southeastern Türkiye.
Engaging the citizens during the recovery phase post-earthquakes, the ministry organized diverse sports activities ranging from football and basketball to swimming, tennis, orienteering and athletics in the quake-affected areas.
To mitigate the physical and psychological aftermath of the earthquakes and ensure the continuity of sports training, eight portable pools from the "Everyone Can Swim Project" were dispatched to Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya.
Tournaments galore
The ministry took on the mantle of addressing the earthquake-induced psychological traumas of children in the affected zones and aiding in their recovery.
A total of 4,652 participants, including children and young people, engaged in tournaments across various sports disciplines with 257 coaches and 257 young volunteers.
Each child participating in the Special Neighborhood League project received material aid, comprising sports bags, tracksuits, raincoats, socks, towels, shorts, T-shirts and sports shoes.
Post-earthquakes, sports projects like Sultans of Your Home (Volleyball), Streets Are Ours (3x3 Basketball), Happy Wednesday, GSB Sports Schools, GSB Barrier-Free Sports Schools, Anatolian Stars League and Run When You Can were sustained in the affected regions.
The 2023 ANALİG season was dedicated to Osman Bayraktar, commemorating ANALİG Coordinator Osman Bayraktar, who lost his life in the earthquake in Hatay.
This initiative aimed to contribute to normalization in earthquake-stricken provinces, featuring championship competitions in swimming, karate, orienteering, table tennis, tennis and athletics.
Healing power
Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak, in a statement to Anadolu Agency (AA), underscored the healing prowess of sports.
Bak expressed the ministry's commitment to leveraging sports to restore normalcy and alleviate the adverse physical and psychological effects of the earthquake, stating: "For young people and children, sports have a relaxing and healing effect as well as entertainment. On this occasion, as the ministry, we supported the socialization of young people and children affected by the earthquake by accelerating their normalization process with sports and educational activities. We would like to thank everyone who works in the earthquake zone for the health of our children, who are the guarantee of our future."
The minister also praised the unity and solidarity demonstrated by the Turkish people and the sports community in healing the wounds post-earthquake, expressing gratitude to all stakeholders for their unwavering support.