Popular Sports in Turkey

Hello everybody, I hope you are all fine. Today I will talk about the popular sports in Turkey.

Football
Football is Turkey's national sport and is played everywhere. Some of the well-known teams are: Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Besiktas and Trabzonspor. Turkish football is at a very important point. Turkish national teams are struggling with the strongest teams in the world and are getting more and more successful results. For example, Galatasaray defeated Arsenal at the UEFA Cup Finals in 2000, and won the UEFA title as well as the Super Cup by overcoming the ''European Champion League'' champion Real Madrid.

Wrestling
Wrestling is another national sport in Turkey. Turkey has many European and World champions. Naim Suleymanoglu and Halil Mutlu are Turkey's most successful athletes in weightlifting who broke world records and won Olympic titles. But the most interesting type of wrestling is Oil Wrestling in Kirkpinar, in Edirne province. This sport is very traditional as it is practiced since the Ottoman Empire and have a history of more than 400 years.

Horseback Riding
Since ancient times, Turks are always known as ''horse people''. A heritage from old Turkic States came to our days as Javelin game played especially in Erzurum and Erzincan; wooden javelins are thrown at horsemen of opposing teams to gain points.

Caving
The most beautiful and interesting caves are located in the Toros regions along the Mediterranean coast, southeast, northwest Anatolia and Thrace. With an approximate number of 40.000 caves and caverns present, Turkey is like a paradise of caverns when compared to other countries.

Sailing and Boat Trips
Turkey has four bordering seas; the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea, so it not surprising that cruising is a popular sport there. There are many boat charters available. Gulets are traditional wooden hulled motor yachts with many comforts and gulet holidays are becoming increasingly popular along the Turkish coastline. Best Gulets are usually build in Marmaris and Bodrum.

Scuba Diving
Mediterranean and Aegean coasts are the best places to dive. It is also possible to dive to shipwrecks from World War I (with special permission of local authorities) in Gallipoli, in the province of Canakkale. As an achievement, a young Turkish woman Yasemin Dalkilic broke several world records in Free diving category by diving with an unsupported fixed weight in 2001.

Wind Surfing
The coasts around Cesme, Bodrum and Datca peninsulas, as well as Antalya, have ideal wind conditions for windsurfing. Turkey's Aegean shores are among the best windsurfing and kite surfing areas in the Mediterranean. The coastal plain enjoys an exceptionally mild climate, with soft springs, hot summers, sunny autumns and warm winters marked by occasional showers. For windsurfing and sun-bathing summer months are ideal.

Bird-watching
Turkey, the meeting point of three continents, forms a natural bridge between the bird breeding areas in the north and the bird's winter quarters in the south. The area between Izmir and Cesmealti was declared a natural heritage region in 1985, because of its importance as a vital stop for migratory birds. May is the best month for birding.

Golf
In recent years, as golf courses with international standards have opened up, Turkey has become an elite golfing center where players from around the world can meet in an environment of quality and prestige. Especially the area of Belek is a potential for golf tourism with the unique bonus of the cultural, historical and natural sightseeing of the region. Top-class courses do also exist in Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, Bodrum and Kusadasi.

That’s all for today. Thank you for your attention. Have a nice day