Ekrem İmamoğlu hosted the athletes of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Sports Club

Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), Ekrem İmamoğlu, hosted the athletes of İBB Sports Club who won 3 gold and 2 bronze medals at the World Taekwondo Championships held in Baku. Imamoğlu, speaking to journalists documenting the meeting, stated, “Respect is highly valued in sports. Respect is a bit lacking in politics. Hopefully, we will fix that too. Let the successful athletes, our athletes from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, speak. They will continue to be champions on the field, and we will continue our struggle to become champions in other fields.”

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, met with the athletes of İBB Sports Club who won a total of 5 medals, including 3 gold and 2 bronze, at the World Taekwondo Championships held in Baku between May 29 and June 4. İmamoğlu met with Merve Dinçel (49 kg, gold), Nafia Kuş (+73 kg, gold), Hakan Reçber (63 kg, gold), Görkem Polat (54 kg, bronze), and Emre Kutalmış Ateşli (+87 kg, bronze) at the White Villa in Emirgan. İmamoğlu, who received information about the championship and the champions from the President of İBB Sports Club, Fatih Keleş, conveyed his wishes for success to the athletes. Speaking about the significance of sports for the country, İmamoğlu said, “Success in sports is a source of morale and motivation. It receives more attention from various aspects. Especially for children and young people, it provides significant motivation for their interest in these fields. Therefore, I followed your successes with pride.”

“WE DESIRE TO STRENGTHEN AMATEUR SPORTS”

Pointing out that İBB Sports Club is an established institution, İmamoğlu said the following:

“The side that triggers and motivates social sports should be strong, and the infrastructure side should be strong. Here, the formation of a special status, turning into a competitive position within the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality based on the talent map that starts from sports schools, especially strengthening in amateur sports, is something we desire greatly. Taekwondo is already one of the successful branches. There is wrestling. But now we want it to be complemented by athletics, gymnastics, swimming, and even becoming an effective field in all Olympic sports such as rowing this weekend. Because we want Istanbul to host the Olympics in 2036. I was delighted, honestly. I wish you continued success. I also congratulate the successful athletes of other clubs who have won medals but are not present here on behalf of our national team. Hopefully, this will continue. We are with you in every aspect. On behalf of the people of Istanbul and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality family, thank you all.”

“SPORTS HAVE A HIGH FRAME OF RESPECT, ONLY POLITICS LACKS RESPECT A LITTLE”

After his speech, İmamoğlu chatted with the champion athletes, saying, “The rules of sports are based on sportsmanship, as our coaches know well. It is even more prominent in combat sports. The framework of respect is high. Only politics lacks respect a little. We will fix that, hopefully. Please introduce and talk about our champions as much as possible. Let our successful athletes, our athletes from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, be heard. They will continue to be champions on the field, and we will continue our struggle to become champions in other fields.”

FROM CHAMPION KUŞ TO İMAMOĞLU: “I CAME TO YOU WITH THE TITLE OF WORLD CHAMPION, FROM A WHEELCHAIR”

Nafia Kuş, who spoke after İmamoğlu, expressed her feelings, saying, “On June 4, 2021, you invited us before the Olympics. We came to you. At that time, I was sitting in a wheelchair. You told my president only one thing. ‘Do whatever is necessary for our athlete,’ you said. Thank you to my President, who did more than his best. I would like to thank you again in your presence. You also supported us a lot. We thank you very much. You have always been by our side. I came to you from a wheelchair with the title of world champion. I am very happy, very proud.” İmamoğlu responded to Kuş’s words by saying, “We are proud of you. Being there for anyone with a disability or in their worst or most difficult moments is our institutional responsibility. Our club and we are like that. I also thank our President, our meticulous technical staff, and all our administrators.”

In the meeting, Fatih Keleş, the President of İBB Sports Club, and Ali Özen, representing the coaches of the champion athletes, were also present, along with Erdem Aslanoğlu, the General Secretary of İBB Sports Club.