Global InformationSport in Turkey information
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Among all sport in Turkey, the most popular one is football.[1] Turkey's top teams include Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş. In 2000, Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup. Two years later, the Turkish national team finished third in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals in Japan and South Korea, while in 2008, the national team reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 2008 competition. The Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul hosted the 2005 and 2023 UEFA Champions League Final, while the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul hosted the 2009 UEFA Cup Final. Turkey will host the UEFA Euro 2032 along with Italy.
Other popular mainstream sports include basketball and volleyball. Turkey hosted the Finals of EuroBasket 2001 and the 2010 FIBA World Cup the men's national team finishing second in both events. The national team also reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 FIBA World Cup, and 2014 FIBA World Cup. At the club level, Anadolu Efes (then known as Efes Pilsen) won the FIBA Korać Cup in 1996, finished second in the FIBA Saporta Cup in 1993, and made it to the Final Four of the EuroLeague in 2000 and 2001 as the first Turkish club in history.[2] In the following years, Beşiktaş have come out as the winners of the FIBA EuroChallenge in the 2011–12 season with only a single defeat, all stages of the tournament included.[3] Later on, Galatasaray won the EuroCup title in 2016. In the following 2016–17 Euroleague season, Fenerbahçe won Europe's highest-tier basketball league, the EuroLeague, as the first Turkish club ever,[4] which was followed by Anadolu Efes in the 2020–21 Euroleague season.[5] Turkish basketball players such as Mehmet Okur, Hedo Türkoğlu and Ersan İlyasova have also been successful in the NBA. Active Turkish NBA players include Cedi Osman, Furkan Korkmaz, Enes Kanter, and Ersan Ilyasova.
Women's volleyball teams, namely Fenerbahçe, Eczacıbaşı and VakıfBank, have won numerous European championship titles and medals. VakıfBank is currently one of the best volleyball teams in the world, 3-time winner of the Club World Championship and 4 time European championship winner. The yellow-black team is also the most successful sports team of Turkey in International arena with the title of the most international trophy (9) holder of Turkey. Fenerbahçe also won the Club World Championship as the first Turkish club ever in 2010.[6] Turkey Women's National Basketball team won the silver medal in the European Championship in 2011 while the Women's National Volleyball Team reached the 6th place in the World Championship in 2010 and won a bronze medal in European Championship in 2011.
Turkish athletes recently achieved success in European level; Elvan Abeylegesse winning gold medal in Women's 10000 metres and silver in Women's 5000 metres, Alemitu Bekele winning gold medal in Women's 5000 metres and Nevin Yanıt winning gold medal in Women's 100 metres Hurdl in 2010 European Championship. In 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships Kemal Koyuncu won silver in Men's 1500 metres and Halil Akkas won bronze in Men's 3000 metres.
The traditional Turkish national sport has been the oil wrestling ("Yağlı güreş") since Ottoman times.[7] Edirne hosts the annual Kırkpınar oiled wrestling tournament since 1361.[8] International wrestling styles governed by FILA such as Freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling are also popular, with many European, World and Olympic championship titles won by Turkish wrestlers both individually and as a national team.[9] Another major sport in which the Turks have been internationally successful is weightlifting.
- ^ Burak Sansal (2006). "Sports in Turkey". allaboutturkey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- ^ Historic achievements of the Efes Pilsen Basketball Team Archived 2008-05-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ EuroChallenge 2012 Final Four
- ^ "Fenerbahce Istanbul joins list of EuroLeague champions!". Euroleague.net. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ "Facts of the Champions: Anadolu Efes Istanbul". Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Fenerbahce crowned Women's Club World champions". www.fivb.org. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ Burak Sansal (2006). "Oiled Wrestling". allaboutturkey.com. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- ^ Kırkpınar Oiled Wrestling Tournament: History
- ^ FILA Wrestling Database