The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) and Municipality of Gaziantep – a city in the western part of Turkey‘s Southeastern Anatolia Region – have launched  the “Support Through Sport Project”, which aims to contribute to Syrian children’s physical and social development through greater accessibility to sport.

The project, which is financed through the IOC Emergency Fund for Refugees, is for the children of the families who are living in Turkey due to the war and hard conditions in Syria and which are all in need of assistance. It aims to make the children forget the bad experiences they have lived, help them adapt to the country and to socialize through their sports activities.

A hall belonging to the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Community Centre has been restored and transformed into a fully equipped sports hall. In addition, the TOC has hired trainers, translators, and technical officers to support the project, and covered all expenses.

At the opening ceremony on Saturday, TOC Board Member Seyit Bilal Porsun, TOC Secretary General Neşe Gündoğan, and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Secretary General Deniz Köken distributed sports shoes, tracksuits and t-shirts to approximately 300 children aged between 6 and 12.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deniz Köken said: “We are incredibly grateful to the TOC for their support towards Syrian children in Turkey. Investing in children is an investment for the future. We are committed to providing access to sport for all the children in Turkey and believe this project will have a real impact on their future.”

Seyit Bilal Porsun, said: “Since its foundation TOC has been developing and implementing projects that make a real difference. The sustainable projects they have developed give young people invaluable access to sport and the opportunity to learn important lessons for life. We are delighted to offer our backing, to help contribute to the physical and social development of Syrian children through the Support Through Sport Project.”

Speaking after the ceremony, TOC President Uğur Erdener said: ” With the Support Through Sport Project, we are dedicated to boosting the education of thousands of Syrian children. We believe the project will help integrate them into our country, enabling them to be able to socialize and to strengthen their physical wellbeing. I would like to thank the IOC and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality for their invaluable support in launching the project.”

The TOC has long been committed to making sport more accessible to children in Turkey. Over the past few years, projects such as the Sports Culture and Olympic Education Project, Free Sports Schools Project, and the Active Kids Project, have integrated the core Olympic values to help local and national authorities work towards creating a better future for the country’s youth. The TOC will continue to pursue this commitment with the Support Through Sport Project.

With spring coming and with the warming of the air, training will begin to be done outdoors and on weekdays, and the number of children participating in the project will increase.