Alanya is preparing for an international beach volleyball tournament: the city will host the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour.
From June 11 to 15, one of the world’s largest tournaments — the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge — will be held at the new International Beach Sports Center in Alanya. This is the first major sporting event at the new arena, which is part of ambitious plans to turn Alanya into a sports capital.
An official press conference dedicated to the tournament was held with the participation of Alanya’s mayor Osman Tarık Özçelik, city officials, the Turkish Volleyball Federation, sports associations, and media. It was emphasized that the new center became possible thanks to joint efforts of local authorities and residents and is now ready to host world-class participants.
112 teams from 29 countries will take part in the tournament, which will play an important role in the Olympic ranking. Matches will run from early morning until late evening, with finals on June 15 at 8:00 pm. Turkey will be represented by three men’s and two women’s teams. Matches start at 8:00 am and continue until 10:00 pm.
“Alanya is the capital of tourism, and now we will also become the capital of sports. This facility is the first and only one of its kind in the world. It is located 2-3 minutes’ walk from the city center and benefits from Alanya’s climate, which can last 12 months,” said Eray Erdem, Chairman of the Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Alanya International Beach Sports Center is one of the visionary projects of the Alanya Municipality, completed in a short time. The beach sports center was built in just 2.5 months thanks to the coordinated work of the city administration. Mayor’s advisor Abdurrahman Açıkkalın highlighted that it is now “one of the few facilities in the world with a zero carbon footprint,” and this summer it will host the European Beach Handball Championship, and next year — the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Vice-President of the Turkish Volleyball Federation Alper Sedat Aslandash called this project “a success story,” emphasizing the importance of close cooperation with the Alanya Municipality: “I hope this facility will also help us get to the Olympics. Beach volleyball started here in the 1980s, and it is registered that Alanya is now a brand of beach volleyball. We are very proud of the cooperation with Alanya on behalf of the Federation. I hope thousands of our athletes will train here.”
Mayor Osman Tarık Özçelik stated that the goal is to turn the city into a world-class brand combining tourism, sport, and culture:
“At the fair we visited in England, we were told: ‘If you become a brand city, tourists will come to you even on foot.’ We immediately accelerated our work. Becoming a brand city won’t happen in 1-2 years, but we will see it in 6-7 years. Alanya has agriculture, sand, sun, and history. In addition, we have facilities and empty beds that will operate from November to March. The best way to appreciate this is sports tourism. We embarked on a journey to ensure this facility is created here. The contribution of my deputy mayors, our assembly, and civil society organizations in Alanya was very important. We managed to work in unity and solidarity with these organizations that add value to Alanya. This facility was created with the support of Alanya residents. One of our goals here is to add value to Alanya and put something in the budget. We will make Alanya a brand city. National athletes and young talents will be raised here. We need to send these young people to the Olympics. If we contribute, I will be very happy on behalf of Alanya. A representative of the organization also stated that they gave this facility a full evaluation and thanked us for the facility that was put into operation in such a short time. I want to enjoy this work, I am very grateful to everyone.”
The mayor of Alanya received a gift from the Volleyball Federation — a Turkish national team jersey with number 7 and the name Osman Tarık Özçelik.