TBF Presidential Candidate Efe Aydan: Hidayet is a very good basketball player but was a very poor administrator

In addition to Aydan, board members Aytek Gürkan, Erman Kunter, Handan Özbek, Ömer Araz, Ömer Bozer, Füsun Uysal, and Özlem Karaçam attended the meeting held at the Turkish Sports Writers Association facilities in Levent.

In his statement, Efe Aydan said that basketball has been rapidly declining over the last 10 years.

Stating that they were affected by this situation and decided to run for office, Aydan said, "During the candidacy process, we held meetings on many issues and reviewed which channels of basketball we need to support. We saw that we need to make new investments and researched the problems of the clubs. We drew up a roadmap accordingly and appeared before you when we felt ready. We are ready to return Turkish basketball to its former glory; we are candidates for this duty."

TARGET: LOS ANGELES 2028

Stating that they have set their target as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Aydan continued as follows:

"We aim to reach a position where we compete for medals in the Olympics. If we start today, we will have a chance; I believe in this. When I become federation president, I will not make decisions alone. I will act in the way our management tells and directs me. We will have a 21-person board of directors in our federation, with 10 permanent and 11 substitute members. Once we take office, we will not have the luxury of making mistakes."

Efe Aydan also expressed that they expect Turgay Demirel to announce his candidacy on Wednesday, adding that their doors are open to anyone who will support the preparations they have made.

Aytek Gürkan, emphasizing that they have served in Turkish basketball for many years, stated the following:

'HIDAYET IS A VERY GOOD BASKETBALL PLAYER BUT WAS A VERY POOR ADMINISTRATOR'

"We saw that Turkish basketball is not being managed. I watch the national teams at lower levels. Even the problems I see there bother me. Today, Turkish basketball receives great support from the state. There is an administration that has received a lot of help with all kinds of advantages from its sponsors for two terms, and in the end, has achieved nothing, causing Turkish basketball to reach a very low level in national teams.

This means this: you are not a good administrator. Hidayet is a very good basketball player but was a very poor administrator. I want to make a call to our dear Minister of Sports. He was very right in his reaction after the Olympics. He said, 'We will hold the federations accountable.' The situation basketball has reached has bothered us. We entered this business because we saw that basketball would go from bad to worse."

Erman Kunter also underlined that women's basketball has been managed very poorly in the recent period.

'WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN, CAST ASIDE'

Kunter said, "When you look at the rankings, women's basketball was not below women's volleyball in the 2012-2016 period. In the recent period, however, it cannot even qualify for championships. This is one of the most important indicators. Women's basketball has been forgotten and cast aside. One of the main reasons we set out is to return basketball to its former glory. To recreate the '12 Giant Men' generation. To return the country's basketball, which has the largest budget and investment after football, to its former glory. We believe we will manage the basketball federation better. If we are elected, our basketball will be in a much better state than it is today."

While Handan Özbek emphasized that they will work very hard as a team, Ömer Araz noted that they have developed new projects that can support the national teams economically.

Ömer Bozer stated that they will have a transparent and honest management approach, while Füsun Uysal expressed that they will take important steps in the field of health, especially in the youth setups.

Özlem Karaçam explained that there were practices contrary to the law and regulations during the election process and that the current federation is in a very bad state.

News Source: 12punto