Türkiye has recorded one of the fastest transformations in its sporting history, with the number of athletes increasing 63-fold over the past two decades, the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports reported.  

The country is now entering a golden age of sports, marked by rising participation and international success as well as new facilities that have brought sports closer to communities nationwide, the statement said.

In 2002, Türkiye had just 278,000 athletes apart from football. 

By 2025, that figure had risen to 17.6 million, including 7.1 million licensed athletes and over 4.5 million competing actively. 

Sports clubs have expanded fourfold, increasing from 6,000 to nearly 25,000, reflecting a dramatic growth in grassroots opportunities.

Officials attribute significant investment in infrastructure to this leap. 

Stadiums, swimming pools, and athletics tracks have been constructed nationwide, providing greater access to sports for communities that previously had limited opportunities. 

As a result, sports are no longer regarded as a privilege but have become an essential part of everyday life, attracting more children and families to local programmes and promoting a nationwide sporting culture.

​​Medal surge

International success reflects Türkiye’s internal growth. 

In 2002, Turkish athletes won just 1,481 medals in international competitions. By 2020, that number had increased modestly to 1,832. 

What followed was an extraordinary leap: 4,418 medals in 2021, nearly 7,000 in 2022, over 8,400 in 2023, and a record 9,747 in 2024.

By mid-2025, the country’s athletes had already accumulated 3,313 medals, reflecting successes across traditional, academic, and para-sports. 

At the European Para Youth Games in Istanbul, Türkiye topped the medal table with 77 podium finishes, including 22 gold, 33 silver, and 22 bronze medals, demonstrating its growing strength in inclusive sports.

At the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, Turkish competitors brought home one gold and four silvers in martial disciplines. 

Eray Samdan won gold in men’s karate (kumite 60 kg), while Kubra Kocakus (women’s muaythai, 60 kg), Emin Ozer (men’s kickboxing, K-1 91 kg), Aybuke Kilinc (women’s kickboxing, point fighting 50 kg), and Inci Ece Ozturk (boules precision shooting) each took silver.

Strong performances also occurred at the 2025 Summer World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, where Türkiye finished eighth overall with 18 medals; 6 gold, 5 silver, and 7 bronze, marking one of its strongest performances to date.

Standout victories included Sevval Cakal and Sude Yaren Uzuncavdar in taekwondo, Berke Akcam in the men’s 400m hurdles, Ozlem Becerek in the women’s discus throw, and the men’s compound archery team of Batuhan Akcaoglu, Yakup Yildiz, and Yunus Emre Arslan.

Individual brilliance has also contributed to the total. Turkish gymnast Adem Asil regained his European all-around title at the 2025 European Gymnastics Championships in Leipzig, scoring 82.398 to secure his second continental crown after his 2023 victory in Antalya.

Team sports are equally successful. 

The Turkish women’s volleyball team, known as the “Sultans of the Net,” secured silver at the FIVB World Championship in Thailand last week, a performance also praised by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I sincerely congratulate our National Women's Volleyball Team, who made our country proud by securing second place at the FIVB Women's World Championship held in Thailand," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

In basketball, too, Turkish athletes continue to make history with their achievements.

The men’s national team reached the EuroBasket quarter-finals for the first time since 2009, winning six consecutive games in Riga, already surpassing their total wins from the 2017 and 2022 tournaments.

“12 Giant Men” will face Poland in the EuroBasket quarter-finals on Tuesday evening.

Starting from a young age

Youth development has been a key driver of this growth. 

Since 2017, the Sports Talent Assessment programme has screened 9.1 million students, identifying 456,000 with strong potential. More than one million children were evaluated in the 2024–25 school year alone.

Many of these athletes now train at Athlete Training Centres, which expanded from 28 to 61 in two decades and currently host more than 4,100 young competitors. 

Türkiye’s Olympic Preparation Centres (TOHM), established for the first time during this period, operate in 25 cities and train 1,279 athletes with Olympic ambitions.

Starting from a modest base of just over a quarter of a million athletes in 2002, Türkiye now boasts millions of participants and increasing medal tallies. Two decades of investment have cultivated champions and transformed the nation’s view of sport.