The solidarity dinner organized for the Vakıflar Wheelchair Basketball Team, which competes in the Turkish Wheelchair Basketball First League, once again made visible the unifying power of sports and the hope created by collective labor. At the meeting held with the contributions of the President of the Turkish Cypriot Beauticians Association, Emiş Türkmen, team dietician Sibel Çağatay and Baykuş Restaurant, the team at the top of the league both found morale and renewed their strength with the support given.
While Foundations Wheelchair Basketball Team President Ahmet Akdeniz, Head Coach Hasan Serbülent, team players and many fans came together at the night, Barlas Kanatlar and Mevlüt Türkmen took the stage and added a different color to the night with their performances.
AHMET AKDENİZ: OBSTACLES ARE REMOVED BY ACTION, NOT BY WORDS
In his speech at the night, Team President Ahmet Akdeniz pointed out that obstacles can only be overcome with concrete steps and said:
“I see here today the most concrete example of removing obstacles by taking action, not by words. This makes me happy. I think the most important steps of the social movement are such examples of solidarity. We started life with obstacles. However, at the point we have reached today, we have transformed our lives with sports. Today, we represent our country by competing among 64 teams in Türkiye. We will represent our country in the European Cup 3, which will be played in France on 12-16 March.”
Akdeniz continued his words by emphasizing that the team represents a social transformation beyond its sporting success:
“Our teammates bring Türkiye’s giant clubs such as Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş to our country. We exist as individuals who are involved in life and represent their country on international platforms. Let them ignore us as much as they want, we have proven that we exist.”
Underlining that the change created by sports for disabled individuals is vital, Akdeniz continued his speech with the following statements:
“Today, I am talking about transformation. It may seem like a simple thing, but for a disabled individual, the change in life is like black and white. We transformed our black life with sports. Today, we all started families, became civil servants, managers, managers in various institutions and organizations. We showed what can be done when a disabled individual is given the opportunity. Our starting point was sports, and that’s why we embraced this sport with all our hearts.”
Emphasizing loyalty at the end of his speech, Akdeniz also reminded the source of inspiration of their struggle:
“From here, I would like to commemorate our friend Mustafa Çelik. Our journey, which started with a spark struck by him, extends to Europe today, as he dreamed. We will continue our work with the saying ‘Love overcomes all obstacles’, which sheds light on all of us.”
The solidarity night once again demonstrated the transformative power of sports and the importance of social awareness.
