Children, dreams, and the Olympics

In these days when the Olympics are in full swing and we take pride in the successes achieved, we frequently hear the life stories of our athletes. I don't know if you have noticed, but the life stories of our invaluable athletes, each filled with perseverance and discipline, are a tremendous source of inspiration for us all.

Perhaps the only common point in these diverse lives—some progressing through poverty, some through technical limitations, and others through discipline and determination—is: "childhood dreams."

One of the key phrases in our athletes' interviews or statements about their lives is the sentence, "Being here was my childhood dream." I think this is a very beautiful and hopeful expression. It is beautiful because who wouldn't want to live their childhood dream? It is hopeful because it gives all children the hope of realizing their dreams and increases our faith in the future.

When I look at the children around me, I see that despite living in different life circumstances, they all have beautiful dreams, and I hope they all reach them; however, there are some situations I specifically want to share here.

Just as with everything else, children are influenced by what they see, hear, watch, or what is happening around them when they dream. In this respect, the media has a huge impact on children. Regardless of their age group, children are included in the sphere of influence of the media, even if they do not use traditional or social media themselves. The "Türkiye'm" anthem composed for the national team by Sefo, whom children love very much; the song "Aşkın Olayım" by Simge Sağın, which is on everyone's lips due to Icardi's influence; young girls calling themselves the "Sultans of the Net" and identifying with the athletes from the volleyball team; or Mete Gazoz increasing interest in archery are simple examples of the relationship between media, sports, and children. These examples are noteworthy in terms of children's interest in sports and including sports in their dreams.

At this point, it is our duty to listen to the voices of children and support them in sports.

We can consider the summer vacation as an opportunity to guide our children toward sports; we can direct our child to sports branches suitable for their interests and talents. No matter how busy our pace of life is, if you only knew how important it is for their childhood world to do sports with our child, to get excited with them, or to follow sports competitions and support them regardless of their level! And who knows, perhaps through this summer, you might get the chance to watch the first competitions of a future Olympic champion or a world-record-holding athlete from the front row and thank me!