A Volleyball Nation

When Turkey scored the 15th point in the golden set against Italy, strangers on a bus entering the country from Greece embraced. Women and children had been crossing through the Kipi border gate as the European Championship final unfolded, but the match turned the journey into a spontaneous celebration.

“Turkey, Turkey,” passengers shouted. Someone played Ayten Alpman’s song “My Country” on YouTube as the bus traveled beside the Meriç River. By the time they reached passport control, the little girls on board had transformed into Vargas, Eda, Yaprak and İlkin, the stars of Turkey’s women’s national team. One girl ran around declaring, “My name is Zehra.”

The sporting achievement, the article argues, did not come as a surprise. Turkey’s second consecutive European title followed more than 20 years of sustained effort. Players and coaches have changed, but the standard has continued to rise. Even foreign coaches, including Daniele Santarelli, become part of the country’s volleyball community, the article says.

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Turkey, Turkey

It credits strong administration and state support through the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the General Directorate of Youth and Sports. Sports halls built across provinces and districts, particularly during the past decade, have helped fuel the rise. Hundreds of coaches watch girls who want to play, even in the country’s most remote provinces.

The article also praises Mehmet Akif Üstündağ for building a network spanning 81 provinces, 964 districts and thousands of villages. When a village lacks volleyballs or a net, social media messages can prompt supplies to be sent there. Talented girls know they may enter the TVF Sports High School in Ankara’s Yenimahalle, established through a joint agreement involving the Volleyball Federation, the Education Ministry and the Youth and Sports Ministry. The school, described as rare even in Europe, is offered as one answer to how Turkey became a volleyball nation.

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My name is Zehra