YTB Organized the “Young Athletes Meeting” Event

Hosted by YTB President Abdulhadi Turus, the event held at the Maarif Lyon school was attended by Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, President of the Board of Trustees of the İlim Yayma Foundation; Zafer Sırakaya, AK Party Deputy Chairman and Head of Foreign Affairs; and Mesut Özil, AK Party Central Decision and Management Board (MKYK) member and former football player.

​Young Turkish athletes operating in different sports branches in France participated in the event organized for May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day. Within the scope of the event, a talk was held under the moderation of YTB President Turus.

​Turus expressed that YTB particularly supports athletes in different fields, stating, “As YTB, we have always prioritized youth at the core of our projects. We have carried out works especially regarding youth in sports, arts, and education.”

​Conveying that they bring approximately 5,000 young people to Türkiye every year for youth camps in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Turus said, “I think the most beautiful youth camps in the world are in Türkiye.”

​Reminding that the 8th Ethnosport Cultural Festival will be organized in Türkiye on May 21, Turus said, “We are trying to bring together traditional sports, our traditional elements, and traditional gastronomy.”

​Expressing that they want to revive traditional sports all around the world, Turus remarked, “That is why Bilal Bey took a stance and continues to deliver this message to the world. Inshallah, we, as the Turkish presence abroad, will continue to support this stance.”

​Regarding Mesut Özil, Turus used the following expressions: “Despite the system that tried to push him back just because he is a Muslim and just because he is a Turk, he stood tall and achieved very significant successes in the world.”

​Stating that a strong Turkish diaspora means a strong Türkiye, Turus said, “A strong Türkiye also means a strong diaspora.”

​Bilal Erdoğan stated that a deceased music teacher of his had truly influenced him regarding the preservation of cultures, languages, and values, and continued his speech as follows:

​“He used to make a comparison like this; he would say they made us wear a suit of clothes, and since these clothes were not custom-made for us, we look ridiculous in them. It pinches on one side, it is baggy on the other, one part is torn, and so on... It suits us to wear our own clothes. What we mean by our own clothes is the preservation of our language, the preservation of our own music, and the preservation of our own traditions and customs.”

​Pointing out that elements such as culture and language are formed as a result of thousands of years of lived experiences, Bilal Erdoğan said, “Even if you take a word from another language, that word finds a corresponding meaning in society according to your culture and is used that way.”

​Expressing that they started working on traditional sports in 2015, Bilal Erdoğan stated, “Today, because we are a Türkiye-based organization in very different parts of the world, we have actually contributed to Türkiye's civil diplomacy as well.”

​Addressing the Turks living abroad, Bilal Erdoğan said, “You too are people trying to keep your own culture and identity alive in the countries where you live.”

​Emphasizing the importance of the children of Turks living abroad learning their own language, Bilal Erdoğan said, “Language is very important because language is a mechanism of transmission. It is an important tool for transmitting culture to new generations. Music is important; whether it is our folk music, classical music, or religious music. The keeping alive and transmission of these.”

​AK Party Deputy Chairman Sırakaya stated that he was born in Germany and spent a major part of his life in this country, emphasizing that they are aware that Turks living abroad need to put in more effort than their peers in the countries they live in.

​Evaluating the situation of Turks living abroad, Sırakaya noted, “We have a process of working hard, showing great effort, and in this sense, stepping into life perhaps without being able to fully experience the childhood of one's life.”

​Recalling the words of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Wise King Alija Izetbegović, “Stay as you are. Protect your religion, your nationality. The price of losing your identity is slavery,” Sırakaya evaluated that to reach the point of a nation that writes history, one must return to their own essence. Sırakaya commented, “In this sense, I find the diaspora abroad successful.”

​Özil stated that he was born and raised in Germany and started playing football at around 6 years old, conveying that he realized at a young age that he had to work very hard to reach better places.

​Explaining that when he was young, he wanted to play for big clubs but they never accepted him despite the struggle he put up, Özil said that obstacles appeared before him because he was Turkish and Muslim.

​Özil stated, “What did I do? I gave thanks (shukr). I said there must be a blessing in this as well,” expressing that he continued his struggle and worked very hard to become better.

​Mentioning that he stayed at the pinnacle of football for many years in this manner, Özil said, “Therefore, no matter how difficult your path is, as long as you believe in yourself and as long as you give thanks, inshallah you will carry yourselves further as well.”

​Following the program, the delegation met with representatives of Turkish non-governmental organizations at a mosque affiliated with the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DİTİB) in Lyon.