Türkiye woke to a devastating catastrophe Monday morning that sent shock waves through local citizens and the international community alike.
Unexpectedly, a devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake ravaged Turkey's Kahramanmaraş, with the Pazarcık district at its epicenter, resulting in massive destruction.
With sporting organizations such as Spor Toto Süper Lig postponing their scheduled matches, many federations and clubs, foremost among them the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF), the Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) as well as powerhouses such as Beşiktaş, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor, have issued their heartfelt messages of comfort and support for the affected areas and their people.
The TFF was at the forefront on social media, saying: "With profound grief and sorrow, we have learned of the loss of lives from the tragic earthquake that struck our nation, with its epicenter in Kahramanmaraş, and was felt across many provinces, particularly in Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Osmaniye, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Şanlıurfa. May Allah bless the souls of our beloved citizens who were taken too soon. Our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected, and we pray for the swift recovery of those who were injured."
The national basketball governing federation expressed their heartfelt sympathies to the victims by saying: "We wish the Almighty's mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that affected many cities, especially Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Kilis, Gaziantep, Adana, Osmaniye, Diyarbakır, Malatya, Adıyaman and Şanlıurfa, and we wish a speedy recovery to our injured citizens."
"We offer our deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers for the citizens who have lost their lives in the earthquakes that have recently shaken the provinces of Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Osmaniye, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Şanlıurfa, and we send our warmest wishes for a speedy recovery to those who have been injured. May the Almighty’s mercy and grace be upon them."
"May the Almighty have mercy on our beloved citizens who tragically lost their lives in the devastating earthquake that shook Kahramanmaraş and the surrounding cities. We extend our deepest condolences to their families and our nation, and we pray for a quick and complete recovery for those who have been injured."
"We implore the Almighty's benevolence to bestow mercy upon our beloved citizens who were taken from us too soon in the devastating earthquake that struck Kahramanmaraş and could be felt in many cities, and we fervently wish for a speedy recovery for those who were injured."
"We extend our sincerest prayers for the Almighty's mercy and grace to the families of our beloved citizens who have fallen victim to the powerful earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, as well as in Hatay, Adana, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Şanlıurfa, and we sincerely wish that those who have been injured may experience a swift recovery."
"We wish the Almighty's mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and felt in many of our cities, and we wish a quick recovery to our injured citizens."
"We convey our wishes for the Almighty's mercy to our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake, the epicenter of which is Kahramanmaraş and felt in many cities and to get well soon to our injured citizens. As Fatih Karagümrük, we want it to be known that we are always there for you and will provide all kinds of support."
"May the Almighty have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and felt in the surrounding provinces; we offer our condolences to our nation and a speedy recovery to the injured."
"We convey our wishes for the Almighty's mercy to our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquakes that were felt in many provinces, especially in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Osmaniye, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Adıyaman, the epicenter of which is Pazarcık, and our wishes to get well soon to our injured citizens."
"May the Almighty have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and was felt in the surrounding cities, and we wish a quick recovery to our injured."
"May the Almighty have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and was felt in the surrounding cities, our condolences to their families and our nation, and we wish a speedy recovery to our injured citizens."
"We wish the Almighty's mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake, the epicenter of which is Kahramanmaraş and felt in many cities, and a quick recovery to our injured citizens."
"We wish the Almighty's mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and felt in many cities, and we wish a quick recovery to our injured citizens."
"We wish the Almighty's mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and felt in many cities, and we wish a quick recovery to our injured citizens."
"We wish the Almighty's mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that affected the whole region, especially in Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Adana, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Şanlıurfa, and we wish our injured citizens get well soon."
"We wish the Almighty's mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and felt in the surrounding provinces, and we wish a speedy recovery to our injured citizens."
Prior to the announcement of casualties, Gaziantep FC, Adana Demirspor and Sivasspor had already sent words of comfort.
"We hope that there will be no loss of life in the earthquake that was felt in our city, especially in neighboring provinces, and we convey our best wishes to all our citizens."
"We hope that there will be no loss of life in the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of which was felt in the surrounding provinces, including Adana, and we convey our best wishes to all our citizens."
"We hope that there will be no loss of life and property in the earthquake that occurred in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş and was felt in Sivas and the surrounding provinces, and we convey our best wishes to all our citizens who were affected by the earthquake."
To add to the list, prominent athletes from Türkiye inundated their social media stories and feeds with compassionate messages of sympathy for the deceased and earnest wishes for the quick recovery of those afflicted.
To name a few, the German midfielder of Turkish descent, Mesut Özil, who plays for Istanbul Başakşehir, along with Türkiye's national attacking midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Burak Yılmaz, and even NBA star Alperen Şengün of the Houston Rockets, all took to social media to express their sympathy.
