President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the opening ceremony of the Basketball Development Center in Istanbul.
''My dear young brothers and sisters, I greet you with my most heartfelt feelings and affection. I thank each and every one of you for your enthusiasm and excitement. We are together for the opening of a magnificent sports facility.
We are experiencing the pride of bringing another work to our city. This place is not just a sports complex, but also one of the strong steps taken for Istanbul to reach the place it deserves in world sports. I wish it to be beneficial to basketball enthusiasts and our youth.
Many developed countries have viewed sports cities as strategic investments. We see how sports investments turn those cities into global brands. Istanbul will also take its place among these cities, God willing. With this tremendous work we are currently in, Istanbul will become one of the capitals of both culture, arts, and sports. Turkish basketball will move towards its goals with rapid strides. I believe it will promote Turkey as a sports center. The Abdi İpekçi Sports Hall left indelible marks on the history of Turkish basketball. There was an earthquake risk; it had worn out significantly and had become unable to meet expectations. We acted quickly. We wanted to build a facility worthy of Turkish basketball. As a sports enthusiast who plays basketball regularly, I followed every stage of the project. With 3 years of effort, we are presenting the project to the service of our youth today. We have also built a center for discovering talent for Turkish basketball. Our youth will achieve successes that will make us proud.''
News Source: 12punto
