The Instagram ban that hinders national promotion...

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games kicked off with an opening ceremony that was, on one hand, a visual feast, and on the other, a source of controversy. Looking at the historical evolution of the Olympics, we see Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who played a significant role in the birth and revival of the modern Olympic idea. 

One of the fundamental and most important reasons why Coubertin initiated the games to be held every four years was to ensure that tensions between people and countries could be transformed into friendship and peace through sports. The “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Faster, Higher, Stronger) trilogy, which Coubertin, who was also an educator, learned from his close friend Father Didon during his teaching years, would also become the first symbol of the Olympism that would begin in the following years. 

In 2021, the Olympic Committee added the word “Communiter” (Together) to this motto, accompanied by a hyphen. It can be said that the famous quote by our founding leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk about athletes, which also describes the role-model athlete profile; “I like the intelligent, agile, and also moral athlete,” carries the quality of being a philosophical complement to the Olympic motto. 

Unlike the Olympics of the Ancient Greek period, it was decided that all countries would participate in the modern Olympics (together) and that they would be “roving,” thus aiming to build a bridge of peace through sports. Over the years, participating countries have used these platforms economically, socially, and culturally, and thus the Olympics have practically turned into an international market for nation branding. 

It has contributed to humanity with features such as states that are enemies in the political arena coming face-to-face in a sportsmanlike manner in competitions, prejudices against some countries being broken through beloved athletes, and the host country reflecting its historical culture in the opening ceremony. 

Looking at this entire historical perspective, we can say that Turkey is one of the luckiest countries in terms of national brand promotion at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Shooting athlete and retired Petty Officer Yusuf Dikeç, who left his mark on the Olympics with his glasses-free, earplug-free, graying hair, and what young people popularly call a “cool stance,” has practically turned into an international phenomenon. Yusuf Dikeç, who is talked about more for his demeanor, attitude, and cool-headed stance than for the silver medal he won with his teammate Şevval İlayda Tarhan, has advertised Turkey to the whole world in a way that was compounded by the tweet shared by X boss Elon Musk. 

One morning, suddenly and without any notice, I had shared the CNN news about Yusuf Dikeç in my last story on Instagram, which was then shut down. CNN, where the whole world follows international developments with its 20 million followers, had reported on the iconic pose of a Turkish athlete. While Turkey’s advertisement in the international arena via social media was progressing at full speed, it suddenly positioned itself as a country that bans Instagram. This must be what it means to shoot oneself in the foot. 

It is not just Dikeç, of course… Our Women’s National Volleyball Team has also advanced to the semi-finals. Perhaps they will be champions one day soon. This ban could even overshadow their success. How tragic. 

While I was excitedly following what was written about our athletes, we are now watching our ill-fated destiny woven with bans. The sudden implementation of social media bans in Turkey, which are seen in countries like China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, is a dramatic development that will cause the country to suffer not only in terms of economy and freedoms but also in cultural and social terms. 

The saying attributed to the Japanese, but which can also be considered anonymous; “Do not cut the ropes even if it is your enemy, one day you might need that rope,” seems perfectly suited to this situation. While Turkey’s million-dollar advertisement was circulating on social media on its own, we are left unaware of developments, staring at our phones in a parallel universe surrounded by bans. Our ancestors said it so well: “No one does to a person what they do to themselves.” Ours is just like that.