Turkish Sports

Abstract

This chapter examines Turkish sport policy with a particular emphasis on the period since 2002 when the tenure of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government began. Based on in-depth interviews with former Turkish sport ministers and other sport authorities, as well as a review of academic literature, government files, and press articles, this chapter concludes that a main focus of Turkish sports policy is gaining domestic and international prestige rather than increasing sports participation. While Turkey was unsuccessful in its bids for the Olympic Games, it could boast of several other accomplishments, including having hosted other high-profile international sporting events such as the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, constructing football stadiums, and achieving elite sport success at international championships and the Olympic Games, with the naturalization of foreign-born athletes as a main driver. This chapter stresses the central role of the state, and the sport sector’s dependence on government subsidies since most financial resources come from the sports betting company Iddaa. It also argues that the government has failed to properly integrate sports with the education system, making school sports one of the most problematic areas of sport development in Turkey.