Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu delivered an inspiring statement at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Türkiye Juniors and Stars Chess Championship, touting Türkiye's rise as a formidable player in sports tourism.
He further said that Antalya is among the foremost of these brands, citing that last year the country hosted a remarkable 200 international sports organizations.
The 2023 Türkiye Juniors and Stars Chess Championship was officially inaugurated with a spectacular ceremony at the Belek Tourism Center in Antalya.
Minister Kasapoğlu took the floor to emphasize the success of Türkiye in sports tourism and added that the country's current standing in the sports industry is now a well-known brand.
He highlighted the thrilling participation in the championship as a sign of chess' invigoration both now and in the future, praising families for motivating their children to participate.
The minister underlined that Turkish sports have been considerably strengthened in recent years, declaring, "Türkiye has an inspiring transformation story. Over the last two decades, thanks to the leadership of our president, we have seen a revolution in every domain, from industry and education to health care and infrastructure. Sports, too, have seen a profound change and development, and we are proud that we can provide sports opportunities to all 85 million citizens. We have a remarkable number of athletes and a wide range of sports, and we are reaping the rewards of our achievements. Our facility infrastructure is also something to be proud of."
He emphatically underlined that Türkiye now boasts a state-of-the-art facility infrastructure in every province that caters to the needs of all industries and is geared toward benefiting the youth and the public.
Emphasizing that Türkiye, Europe and the global community possess the most superior infrastructure, Minister Kasapoğlu declared: "We are all reaping the benefits of this together. We now have Olympic medals, European and world championships in sports, which we could barely even field participants before."
He emphasized their commitment to ensuring that all citizens have access to swimming education, noting that they had built swimming pools in neighborhoods, parks and schools.
Minister Kasapoğlu reiterated that only in 2022, athletes had achieved an astounding 6,127 medals in 51 different disciplines in international competitions.
Highlighting that none of these accomplishments were mere luck, Minister Kasapoğlu declared: "There is a robust, efficient system at work behind the scenes. This is the result of an outstanding strategy and careful preparation, as well as hard work. One of the great achievements is the progress of chess in Türkiye and the level it has reached. We have carried out extensive research and activities particularly dedicated to chess. These efforts have become very conspicuous and yielded special results. Our schools, dormitories and youth centers are open to chess, allowing its players to think analytically. We are highly sensitive to the support of chess, which cultivates talent, self-confidence, courage and patience. In this regard, chess is paramount for our country to produce strong and healthy generations."
Minister Kasapoğlu, while making strides toward the advancement of chess, noted that it is more than just a sport and declared that young people drawn to any sport have a huge benefit in terms of avoiding bad habits and taking more confident strides toward their future.