Turkish NOC Holds Free Sports Schools Project Year-End Celebration

Kocaeli Province, Turkey; 8 May 2018: The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) celebrated the year-end of the highly successful Free Sports Schools (FSS) project with a day of sporting activities in the Danca district of Kocaeli Province on Sunday.

FSS, a project that has been running for 22 years, aims to provide young people with the opportunity to practice sports and improve their physical and mental well-being through leading a healthy lifestyle. Hundreds of students from schools involved in the project were in attendance, with children and their families able to enjoy a day of volleyball, basketball and other fun athletic games.

Children from the project’s branches in the Kartal, Pendik and Bahçelievler (Special Group) districts of İstanbul, and from the Kocaeli and Sakarya Provinces, were joined by FSS alumni.

Alumni Berre Ince, who recently earned a call up to the national volleyball team, said:

"The FSS project is a great way to introduce children to sport. I am one of these children, having started my volleyball journey with FSS as an 8-year-old. Thanks to my coaches’ great contributions, I play for the junior side of Fenerbahçe, one of Turkey’s leading volleyball teams. I would like to thank everyone who supports and works on this project."

TOC Board Member Sema Kasapoğlu, Secretary General Neşe Gündoğan, FSS Coordinator Suzan Kum and TOC Member Oktar Tertemiz attended the event and experienced the children’s joy and happiness.

After the event, Sema Kasapoğlu said:

"The TOC has succeeded in touching children’s lives through sport. We are determined to help them being healthy, happy and social individuals in the future. Seeing hundreds of children enjoying different sports together, and having a smile on their faces, is the best reward for all of our efforts."

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