Türkiye (TUR)

Türkiye was first represented at the Intercalated Olympic Games of 1906 when an Armenian student, Vahran Papazyan, at Robert College in Constantinople (now İstanbul) competed in the 800 and 1,500 metre track events. Also Zareck Couyoumdzian, a member of the Smyrna football team, was of Armenian ethnicity and was considered a Turkish participant. Several Greek competitors living in cities that belonged to the Ottoman Empire (as Türkiye was then known), also competed in these Games, but these can hardly be considered Turkish.

It is often claimed that during a visit to Türkiye in 1907, Pierre de Coubertin invited his guide, Aleko Mulos Bey, to take part in the gymnastic events at the 1908 Olympics, and for many years we felt that there was little evidence that Mulos Bey actually competed. However, we have recently found the complete results of the 1908 individual gymnastics and Mulos Bey definitely did compete, making him the first ethnic Turk at the Olympic Games.

There again were two Turkish entrants at the 1912 Olympics (again, both ethnic Armenians), and Türkiye sent its first serious team in 1924, when they entered a 22-man squad to the Paris Olympics. Since then, it has missed only the Games of 1932 and 1980.

Türkiye has won 103 Olympic medals, with 41 golds, all at the Summer Olympics. Turkish wrestlers account for an outstanding 66 of these, with 29 wrestling gold medals. Its most notable competitors, however, have been weightlifters: both Halil Mutlu and Naim Süleymanoğlu won three gold medals in that sport. Three other Turkish athletes have each won a pair of gold medals, all wrestlers: Mithat Bayrak, Mustafa Dağıstanlı and Hamza Yerlikaya.

Türkiye first competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 1936 and has since missed only the Winter Games of 1952, 1972, and 1980, appearing 18 times. Through 2022, Türkiye has had Winter Olympians compete in Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, figure skating, short-track speed skating, and ski jumping.

Türkiye has not won a medal at the Olympic Winter Games, with its best finish being a 6th position, by their first ever short-track speedskater, Furkan Akar, in the 2022 men’s 1,000 metres event. Three Turkish Winter Olympians have competed at four Games – Muzaffer Demirhan, in men’s Alpine skiing in 1948, 1956, 1960, and 1964; and Kelime Aydın-Çetinkaya and Sabahattin Oğlago, in women’s cross-country skiing, both in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014.

Türkiye has bid to host the Olympic Games four times, with Istanbul unsuccessfully bidding for the 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2020 Olympics. In 1972 the Olympic Committee of Türkiye was awarded with the Olympic Cup. For many years, the name of the country was Turkey but it was officially changed to Türkiye in 2022.