Turkish gymnast and the manager of Göztepe Gymnastics Academy, Ferhat Arıcan, emphasized the importance of gymnastics in children's development.
"Starting from the age of 3, we can develop balance, strength, power, flexibility and other fundamental motor skills through gymnastics," he said.
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Ferhat Arıcan made history by winning the bronze medal in artistic gymnastics, becoming the first Turkish gymnast to achieve this.
He was also voted the best male gymnast of the year in artistic gymnastics by the European Gymnastics Union.
Under Ferhat Arıcan's captaincy, the national team secured a team quota for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at the 52nd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
Arıcan explained to Anadolu Agency (AA) that gymnastics is one of the sports that can be started at a very young age and is essential for physical and mental development.
"At Göztepe Gymnastics Academy, we provide training starting from the age of 2. The aim of training at the age of 2 is for parents to enter the class with their children and learn to control their bodies. After learning this, we move on to movement education. The important thing there is that we can gain motor skills at that age. Starting from the age of 3, we can develop balance, strength, power, flexibility, and other fundamental motor skills through gymnastics," he said.
He emphasized that children who practice gymnastics learn the basics, ethics, discipline, and most importantly, the culture of sports.
"At the age of 8, we conduct a test to determine the child's specialization and, if necessary, guide them to other branches," he added.
Referring to the historic achievement in artistic gymnastics at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Arıcan stated, "The success of our volleyball players, Mete's medal in archery, and my historic gymnastics medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics increased interest in these sports. Especially after the Olympic medal in gymnastics, many parents became aware. They understood that gymnastics is a fundamental sport."
Regarding ongoing training with 1,000 athletes, Arıcan emphasized the importance of selecting the right sports school for children. He said, "Yes, they should do gymnastics, but it is important to choose the right sports school with quality and quantity. Gymnastics is a physical sport, so to find this quality, you need the right training, the right training method, the right coach, and most importantly, to choose the right sports school. At Göztepe Gymnastics Academy, we work with very valuable coaches. All of our training methods, with nearly a thousand athletes in all of our branches, are the same every day."