SÜMEYRA YARIŞ TOPAL / ISTANBUL COMMERCE
Istanbul, with a history of 8500 years, feels like the capital of humanity, and is also one of the largest cities in Europe. Istanbul is also, in a sense, the capital of sports with a population approaching 15 million, half of which is in young age groups. Last decade saw more than TRY 1 billion invested in sports in Istanbul, which boasts 303 organized sports facilities dedicated to a wide range of activities from swimming to football, from volleyball to basketball, horse riding, and badminton.
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Named the sports capital of Europe in 2012, thanks to substantial investments in sports, the mega-city has, to date, served as the host of tens of international sports events including World Basketball Championship, World Wrestling Championship, and European Basketball Championship. The international cross continent marathon, run each year on a course extending from Asia to Europe, over the Bosphorus Bridge, offers its participants a unique experience.
SPORTS AT VILLAGES
Sprawling over 5,461 square kilometers, this huge city has great sports facilities. Even the villages of this historical metropolis are now being enriched with large sports complexes - 303 organized sports facilities overall, 36 at international standards, 64 available for national events, and 203 for local events. Each and every one of 39 districts of the city has 2 to eighteen sports facilities. The total number will approach to 400 in the near future, with the addition of 26 large scale sports facilities currently under construction, as well as 60 sports schools.
LICENSED ATHLETES
Istanbul also managed a significant growth in the number of licensed athletes with a rise to 383,264 licensed athletes from 57 distinct branches of sports, from equestrianism to cycling, archery to wrestling, chess to scuba diving. It is a success of a city marked with a young and dynamic population with 41,285 elementary and secondary school students. Furthermore, the active city is the home of 1617 sports clubs in various fields.
90% SUCCESS RATE AT UNIVERSITY ENROLLMENTS
267 of the sports facilities in Istanbul are owned by government agencies. 34 facilities owned by Spor A.Ş., which is a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, offer the opportunity to enjoy sports in 25 fields, free of charge. Since 2008, these facilities served 3 million people with 22 pools, 32 astroturf football fields, 33 tennis courts, 2 ice skating courts, 28 gyms, 20 pilates-step-aerobics halls, 19 martial arts centers, 7 table tennis facilities, 9 outdoor basketball and volleyball fields, and 21 saunas. 13 of the facilities are fitted for use by people with disabilities. Furthermore, these facilities play an active role in the education of the students which seek an academic career in physical education, and helped achieve a university enrollment rate of 90%.