ISTANBUL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In April 2013, Turkcell (NYSE:TKC) (BIST:TCELL) Turkey’s leading telecommunications and technology company, and Turkish Swimming Federation partnered for “Olympic Performance Project” and set the bar high for Turkish swimming. One year on, under the leadership of Bob Bowman, the trainer of Olympic legend Michael Phelps and now the Chief Advisor of Turkish National Swimming Federation, Turkish swimming is picking up steam. Turkcell, Turkish Swimming Federation and Bob Bowman shared the initial results as the project nears its first anniversary.
- One of the goals of the “Olympic Performance Project” is to take the number of active swimmers in Turkey to 100 thousand by 2020. Having started with 18 thousand swimmers only a year ago, Turkcell and Turkish Swimming Federation have managed to increase the number by 14 thousand in a year. The goal for 2014 will be to add another 3 thousand swimmers and reach 35 thousand licensed athletes by the end of the year.
- Another goal of the project is to train elite athletes. 5 Turkish swimmers are currently training in Baltimore, Maryland, USA under Bob Bowman’s direct leadership, along with US swimmers.
- Bob Bowman and his team initiated a coach training program in additon to training the athletes. Under this program, Turkish coaches are having two-month-long internships in Baltimore. In 2014, Turkey will host the International Coach Clinic with the support of FINA – International Swimming Federations.
- Fernando Canales, of Bob Bowman’s team, has assumed his duties as resident trainer of Turkish National Swimming Teams in Istanbul.
- In order to instill the passion for swimming to broad segments of society and identify potential athletes, Turkcell organized “Swimming Days” in 17 Turkish cities and reached 10 thousand young swimmers. The goal for 2014 is to reach 20 thousand swimmers in 40 cities in 2014.
Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, where these results were shared with Turkish press, Ahmet Bozdogan, the President of Turkish Swimming Federation, praised the progress achieved so far. “Our current level seemed like a dream in the past. We are already witnessing significant improvement in Turkish Swimming under the leadership of Bob Bowman. With Turkcell’s significant contribution, we are taking steps to institutionalize this wave of change” said Bozdogan in his remarks.
Turkcell’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Koray Ozturkler reaffirmed Turkcell’s commitment to Turkish swimming. “We are developing the talent pool by reaching out to potential athletes and investing in long-term success by improving the education of our trainers. We are confident that this project will lead to international success stories for Turkish swimming in 2020 and beyond.” said Ozturkler.
Bob Bowman, the Chief Advisor of Turkish National Swimming Federation, emphasized the long-term nature of the project. “Sustaining the momentum is very important in swimming. We are working together to improve the standing of Turkish swimming in the international arena but it is going to take time and patience.” said Bowman in response to questions from journalists.
Turkcell and Turkish Ministry of Sports are investing a total of 28 million Turkish liras in the “Olympic Performance Project”. In addition to its current support, Turkcell will introduce a technological component to the program, enabling scientific tracking of athletes’ performances.
ABOUT TURKCELL
Turkcell is the leading communications and
technology company in Turkey, with 34.9 million subscribers as of March
31, 2013. Turkcell is a leading regional player, with market leadership
in five of the nine countries in which it operates with its
approximately 69.2 million subscribers as of March 31, 2013. It has
become one of the first among the global operators to have implemented
HSPA+. It has achieved up to 43.2 Mbps speed using the Dual Carrier
technology, and is continuously working to provide the latest technology
to its customers, e.g. 84 Mbps in the near future. Turkcell Superonline,
a wholly owned subsidiary of Turkcell, is the one and only telecom
operator to offer households fiber broadband connection at speeds of up
to 1,000 Mbps in Turkey. As of February 28, 2013, Turkcell population
coverage is at 99.19% in 2G and 84.26% in 3G. Turkcell reported a
TRY2.7 billion (US$1.5 billion) revenue with total assets of TRY18.9
billion (US$10.4 billion) as of March 31, 2013. It has been listed on
the NYSE and the ISE since July 2000, and is the only NYSE-listed
company in Turkey. Read more at www.turkcell.com.tr
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