Mehmet Kasapoğlu

With the participation of some 150 athletes from 15 countries, the eastern province of Şırnak, once associated with terror, is now preparing to host its first international tennis tournament, the country's sports and youth minister has said.

"The noise of the tennis rackets will echo on the foot of Mount Cudi," Mehmet Kasapoğlu told the Daily Milliyet.

Top Turkish sports officials and bodies on April 19 took a stand against plans for a breakaway European football league.

Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoğlu took to Twitter to criticize the European Super League project, saying it violates the "principle of participation," which he said is a value of all sports organizations.

Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu welcomed the nation's first-ever gold medal-winning women's national rhythmic gymnastics team at his office on Dec. 1 in the capital Ankara. 

"It's a great pleasure for us to host you here," said Kasapoğlu. "You're in our ministry as champions."

Turkish pentathlete İlke Özyüksel bagged a gold medal on Nov. 20 in the Modern Pentathlon U24 Junior European Championships in Drzonkow, Poland.

"I'm very happy to have achieved such success during the coronavirus [pandemic]. Although it was the beginning of the season, we achieved our best," Özyüksel told Anadolu Agency.