Bahri Tanrıkulu, President of the Turkish Taekwondo Federation, was a guest on the Paralympic Sports program broadcast on TRT Spor Yıldız.
Discussing taekwondo issues on the Paralympic Sports program, prepared in collaboration with the Turkish Paralympic Committee, Bahri Tanrıkulu, President of the Turkish Taekwondo Federation, stated that the 12th International Turkey Open Taekwondo Tournament, hosted by Antalya, was very successful.
Noting that the event, held between February 8-16, 2025, took place in an atmosphere reminiscent of European, World, and even Olympic Games, Tanrıkulu said, “We were very well prepared for this event. Our referees, the organizing team, and our other colleagues made preparations for the event days in advance. The competitions began on February 8 in Antalya, starting with the Para Taekwondo events. This was followed by competitions in the junior women’s, junior men’s, senior, and youth categories. Finally, on February 15-16, we concluded the 8-day Taekwondo festival with poomsae events for our entire community.”
Noting that they received very positive feedback regarding the Taekwondo PI application, Turkish Taekwondo Federation President Bahri Tanrıkulu said, “Since the day we took office, we have been fulfilling the primary duties of our federation and have also delivered on the application we promised before the election to our community. This application can be used by athletes, coaches, referees, parents, and anyone following the organization. Features such as weigh-in appointments, match tracking, rankings, and draw selections are available in this application. Although it has only been two months, we were able to broadcast the Antalya event live via YouTube thanks to this application. Our parents are pleased that they can watch the matches live. This is a wonderful development. Our community and coaches are also very pleased. Athletes can watch their opponents through this application. We will continue to develop and update this application as time goes by. We are working hard in this regard. We are also working on sponsorships. We are also adding programs such as meal applications and travel companions. This application will reach much better levels in the future.”
Emphasizing that they held an event in the Para Taekwondo category in the first week of January, President Tanrıkulu concluded his remarks as follows: “We held the Para Poomsae Turkey Championship. There was a great turnout. Competitions were held in Para Kyorugi. Our athletes who ranked in the top four here participated in the tournament in Antalya on behalf of our national team. Athletes from abroad also participated in this event. There was participation from many countries, and the competitions were very good. Our P20-P21 athletes, who are athletes with Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, wheelchair users, and short stature, also competed in the P50-P70 categories. These competitions produced some wonderful scenes. We are very happy to have started in this field. Hopefully, the P20 category will be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on March 16. Our athletes will also compete here. We have started our work. Our athletes in Antalya are currently on an 11-day camp. I wish all our athletes success once again.”
