Turkish sports bodies honor victims of defeated coup

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish sports community on Monday marked the third anniversary of the July 15 defeated coup bid in the country.

The football clubs which have won the Turkish top-tier Super Lig titles -- Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas, Trabzonspor and Bursaspor -- condemned the defeated coup, which was orchestrated by the FETO on July 15, 2016.

Galatasaray said in a Twitter post that it thanked the Turkish people for defending democracy on July 15, 2016 and offered condolences to the families of martyrs and expressed its gratitude to the veterans.

Fenerbahce paid tribute to the Turkish people, who resisted the "treacherous coup attempt", and offered condolences to relatives and families of the martyred people.

The other Istanbul club, Besiktas -- referring to the nation’s resistance against the FETO -- said on social media that the greatest power of Turkey is unity, solidarity and brotherhood.

It also offered condolences to the martyrs.

The other football team from the country's Black Sea region, Trabzonspor thanked Turkish heroes for avoiding the "treacherous" coup attempt.

Trabzonspor put the photo of a national hero named Omer Halisdemir on Twitter, a senior staff sergeant, who was martyred on the night of the 2016 coup attempt.

Halisdemir prevented the capture of the headquarters of the Special Forces Command in capital Ankara, an action considered by many as one of the major reasons for the failure of the attempt that martyred 251 people and injured nearly 2,200 in less than 12 hours.

Bursaspor expressed its gratitude to the people, who made history by defending democracy in Turkey. It also offered condolences and wished recovery for the veterans.

In addition to these clubs, Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) condemned the 2016 coup attempt on Twitter.

TFF posted a photo of Halisdemir and the people, who were martyred by FETO terrorists on July 15.

"We won't forget... With respect our martyrs and veterans," TFF said.

Separately, TBF honored the martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for Turkey on July 15, the Democracy and National Unity Day.

The TBF President, Hidayet Turkoglu -- a former NBA player -- thanked Turkish people for their determination and unity to defend the Republic of Turkey against the coup plotters on July 15.

"Our people led by our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showed a unique resistance against the treacherous FETO, who attacked the Republic of Turkey's independence and welfare," Turkoglu said in a Twitter post.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.