President Ersin Tatar's address at the closing ceremony of the 21. University Sports Games
“University sports games will continue to promote the existence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”
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Northern Cyprus University Sports Federation (KKÜSF) 21. University Sports Games Closing and Awards Ceremony was held at the Presidency under the auspices of President Ersin Tatar.
Addressing the ceremony that was attended by athletes and the organisers of the university games, President Tatar said: “I commend you all for participating in the 21st University Games. We are happy to see young people here who make us proud with their achievements.”
Pointing out that the catastrophic earthquakes that occurred in Türkiye on February 6 and the loss of lives has been a source of “great pain and sadness”, President Tatar emphasised that they are trying to heal the wounds.
President Tatar said: “The 21st University Sports Games is an important event which has attracted a lot of interest by international students from different backgrounds, who have chosen to study at our universities in the TRNC. I commend you all for your participation in this fantastic sports organisation. I congratulate the winners and runners up.”
Stating that there are “students from 144 different countries studying in the TRNC,” the President stated that the “21. University Games has brought students from different countries together in a spirit of brotherhood and has been instrumental in consolidating their successes in the future”.
Expressing his belief that higher education is reaching a more advanced level with each passing day, President Tatar underlined that “our universities are of great importance for the TRNC politically as well as their economic contribution”.
President Tatar congratulated KKÜSF President Hüseyin Aşkın Kınacı and his team for their work, which brings together foreign students from different countries and the youth of the TRNC in sports competitions.
In his speech at the ceremony, Mr. Kınacı thanked President Ersin Tatar for the Closing and Awards Ceremony that was held under his auspices. He said the University Sports Games is organised in the categories of men and women, which started last November and which ended this month.
Stating that the “unjust isolation in the field of sports has, to a degree, been overcome,” Mr. Kınacı emphasised that foreign students and the youth of the country “have come together and enjoyed playing sports together and getting to know new cultures, leaving politics aside. This is the power and the purpose of sport,” he said.
Mr. Kınacı stated that in addition to organisations held in the TRNC, efforts are being made to enable the students to be able to play in other international organisations.
Explaining that a meeting was held in TRNC with the Turkish University Sports Federation executive board in April following the initiative of President Ersin Tatar, Mr. Kınacı said that the Turkish University Sports Federation will organise the UNİLİG organisation consisting of three legs in our country in the 2023-2024 period and that universities from our country will also be participating in the leagues.