Active Turkish athletes rise to 3.6M in 18 years

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ANKARA (AA) - The number of active athletes in Turkey has increased from 206,000 to 3.6 million in the last 18 years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

Addressing the introductory meeting of a scholarship program for national athletes in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said sportspersons were winning more medals as a result of support and priority given to sports by the Turkish state.

”Our young athletes who meet certain success criteria will be able to study in universities with full scholarship," the president said.

As many as 76 athletes have so far won the scholarship, and Erdogan said it is important to expand the project. ”I invite all private educational institutions to join the project, support our athletes and develop Turkish sports,” he said.