Turkiye's Minister of Sports on Paris 2024: "Federations will be held responsible!"

Meeting with journalists following the conclusion of the games in Paris, Minister Bak expressed his gratitude to all the athletes who participated.

"We are well aware of the effort each athlete has put in to participate in these games. We have always supported them and will continue to do so. Some of our athletes won medals, came close to winning, and even achieved historic firsts. While some results give us hope for the future, others have delivered important lessons. The state provides resources. As the Republic of Turkey, we have offered the highest level of support to our sports federations. These resources are unparalleled in many countries around the world. However, federations that fail to utilize these resources effectively and efficiently will be held accountable," said Bak.

"I Don't Measure Success Solely by Medals"

Emphasizing that the expected performance was higher before the games, Minister Bak added:

"I don't view this solely in terms of medals. I thank all the athletes and technical teams who represented our country. I also extend my gratitude to all our clubs, including Fenerbahçe, Istanbul BB, ASKİ, and ENKA. The Olympics are the pinnacle of sports. Your competitors are just as motivated and prepared as you are. There are some important firsts that I find very significant. Chief among them is winning a medal in shooting, a sport in which we had never medaled before. Winning a team medal in archery is also noteworthy. The fact that our young swimmer Kuzey Tunçelli reached the finals for the first time gives us hope. The presence of young athletes, especially among our medalists, gives us even more optimism. We wanted to make our nation prouder and happier. Our athletes may feel the same way. We won 3 silver and 5 bronze medals. The 'Sultans of the Net' finished fourth in the Olympics. They surpassed strong opponents but couldn't achieve the desired result in the final stage. In weightlifting, Muhammet Furkan Özbek finished fourth. Nearly ten of our athletes competed in medal matches. Ersu Şaşma's performance in the final was thrilling for us. Experiencing that final was an important lesson. Previously, we couldn't even qualify for the Olympics in gymnastics. As a team, we narrowly missed the finals, finishing ninth by a small margin. Adem Asil had some bad luck, while Ferhat showed great dedication. These athletes are crucial for the development of their sports. We need to further support these names. We met all the demands of the federations during the preparation process. We provided 2-3 times more support in their budgets. As a state, we offered every possible resource to the federations and athletes. Of course, everyone needs to learn from this, including the federations. We must also engage in self-criticism."

Minister Bak also emphasized that preparations for Los Angeles 2028 would begin immediately after Paris 2024:

"We will manage this process in the best possible way. By law, federation elections will be held within three months. Both we and the clubs will evaluate their performance. I believe we are making progress with positive steps. Our athletes also need a more professional process. We needed to manage the preparation process more closely. We shouldn't think of everything solely in terms of medals. However, the lack of a gold medal and the total of eight medals we won fell short of our expectations. There was significant crowd pressure and interest here. The packed venues may have affected some athletes. We will learn from all of this. The media, us, the athletes—everyone has a role to play. But we must view the situation positively. As management, we will evaluate these outcomes. As a state and as a ministry, we will continue to provide our full support. There are few countries in the world that reward athletes. Everyone wants to win medals and be successful. But sometimes, it may not be your day. You may encounter challenges that you couldn't overcome. The best in the world come here."