Earthquake in Turkey: sports competitions suspended until further notice

Turkish sport is logically at a standstill.

The authorities have announced the suspension “until further notice” of sports competitions in the country.

An obvious decision, while a violent earthquake occurred in the south-east of the country as well as in neighboring Syria.

In total, more than 2,650 people have died according to the latest reports available, announced the Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports.

“The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu, has announced that all national sports competitions have been suspended until further notice due to the earthquake,” the minister wrote in a statement posted on his Twitter account.

Ülkemizde yapılacak tüm ulusal spor organizasyonları ikinci bir açıklamaya kadar durdurulmuştur.

İlgili tüm birimlerimiz AFAD koordinasyonunda teyakkuz halindedir.

Aziz milletimize bir kez daha geçmiş olsun dileklerimi iletiyorum.

— Dr. Mehmet Kasapoğlu (@kasapoglu) February 6, 2023

Three meetings of the 23rd day of the SüperLig, the Turkish football championship, were to take place in particular on Monday: two in Istanbul and the third in the east of the country on the shores of the Black Sea.

They have been postponed to an unspecified date, the Turkish Football Federation announced.

“As announced by our Minister of Youth and Sports, the sports competitions have been postponed.

We have thus postponed the matches of our football leagues, ”said the Federation.

Read alsoEarthquakes in Turkey and Syria: why are the results so heavy?

“You know, I come from Gaziantep (near the epicenter, editor's note).

I know the region well, ”said the president of the body, Mehmet Büyükeksi.

“As the president of the Turkish Football Federation, we stand with our state and our nation.

Today we must act more than ever in unity to heal our wounds together,” he added.

Solidarity collections organized by football clubs

On their social networks, most Turkish football clubs, whose profiles and banners are adorned in black, sent messages of condolence and support to the victims of the disaster.

#PrayForTurkey pic.twitter.com/eJ5TDtnk1a

— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) February 6, 2023

Initiatives have also been announced by the sports world, such as the blood drive organized Tuesday morning by the Red Crescent at the Besiktas stadium, in the eponymous district of Istanbul.

The two other major Istanbul clubs, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, have announced that they are setting up collections of food, equipment, clothing and hygiene kits for the areas affected by the earthquake.

Donations are to be brought to the stadiums of both clubs.