They overcame obstacles with ‘sports’

Izmir University of Economics (IUE) hosted the Wheelchair Table Tennis athletes of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality at the Table Tennis Tournament organized with the theme of ‘Sporla Engelleri Aşıyoruz’ (We Overcome Obstacles with Sports). There were pleasant and exciting moments in the ambitious tournament, which was held on campus with the participation of academics, students and administrative staff. The athletes participating in the tournament were given a certificate of appreciation at the end of the event.

Organized for the first time this year, the tournament was held with the cooperation of IUE Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Sports Coordinatorship and Disability Support Center. In addition to Izmir Metropolitan Municipality athletes Bayram Koşak, Kübranur Narmut, Fehmi Doğan and Saliha Yılmaz, 28 people from IUE participated in the tournament. Everyone who participated in the tournament, which was held to raise awareness for the disabled, was declared the winner.

ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE LIFE

Noting that almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life, Asst. Prof.Dr. Barış Gürpınar from Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation and Coordinator of Disability Support Center, said, “If we want to live in a healthy society, we must create an accessible and inclusive life. One of the most enjoyable and productive ways to achieve this goal is sports. We had a great day, we were defeated in the match with pleasure. We felt once again how nice it is to be together.”

THE POWER OF SPORTS

IUE Sports Coordinator Murat Palalı stated that they will continue to host athletes from different fields on campus in the coming period. Palalı said, "We would like to thank the 4 athletes who came to our campus to be with us. Sports have a unifying, integrating power that increases socialization. We reflected this in the tournament. Everyone who participated in the tournament had a very fun and exciting time. Some matches were very competitive. Both the participants of the tournament and the audience had a happy day. We will make the tournament traditional and we will continue to expand its scope next semester."