Abdi İpekçi's name removed from sports arena

The name Abdi İpekçi has disappeared from the new Basketball Development Center, which was inaugurated by AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan.

The 37th Men's Presidential Basketball Cup was won by Anadolu Efes, who defeated Fenerbahçe 83-82. The final, which also served as the opening ceremony for the Basketball Development Center, was marked by the decision not to allow fans to attend. In addition to this decision, which caused a major crisis, the complete removal of the name Abdi İpekçi from the newly opened facility has also become a topic of discussion. 

The final took place on Sunday evening at the Basketball Development Center, which was built on the site of the demolished Abdi İpekçi Sports Arena. No tickets were sold to fans for the match, which was attended by AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan, as well as Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak and Turkish Basketball Federation President Hidayet Türkoğlu.

ABDI İPEKÇİ NAME REMOVED

President Erdoğan visited the construction site of the sports complex on July 28, 2023, and stated in his remarks there, "The Abdi İpekçi Basketball Development Center will serve our country as a sports complex that is active 24 hours a day. We plan to put the center, which we began constructing 1.5 years ago, into the service of Turkish basketball in March 2024." The opening took place at the end of September, but what was notable in Erdoğan's statement was that he did not refer to it as the "Abdi İpekçi Basketball Development Center." 

The sports arena, whose foundation was laid in 1979, had been named after journalist Abdi İpekçi, who was assassinated that same year. While plans were being made to demolish the arena and open a new one in its place, the existing name of Abdi İpekçi suddenly disappeared. The removal of the Abdi İpekçi name from the arena, during an event where tickets were not sold to fans for fear of protests, has caused a major backlash. 

HOSTED FOR 30 YEARS

The Abdi İpekçi Sports Arena was a multi-purpose indoor sports arena located in Zeytinburnu, Istanbul. In terms of capacity, it was Turkey's third-largest arena after the Sinan Erdem Sports Arena and the Ülker Sports and Event Hall. It took its name from journalist Abdi İpekçi, who was murdered in the year its construction began. The demolition of the sports arena, which hosted sports and cultural-artistic events for nearly 30 years, began in 2018.

News Source: 12punto