Turkish athletes stranded in Qatar return home

Küçükada Spor, an amateur sports club based in Kuşadası, traveled to Doha, the capital of Qatar, on February 25 to participate in a football tournament at the invitation of the Qatar Aspire Academy.

The tournament, which was scheduled to take place between February 28 and March 5, was canceled following the attacks launched by the US and Israel against Iran, and the region's airspace was closed to civilian flights after Iran launched a counter-attack. Due to the cancellation of flights, the Turkish group, which was stranded in Doha for 12 days, left the Aspire Academy facilities at 3:00 PM yesterday after obtaining the necessary permits and set off by bus for Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

The group, seen off by Turkish officials in Doha and Qatari bureaucrats, reached Riyadh after a journey of approximately 12 hours. The Turkish athletes, who departed for Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight at 6:30 AM today, later arrived in İzmir by plane.

Upon reaching Turkish soil, the group then traveled by road to the Kuşadası district of Aydın. Families who welcomed the athletes at the club facilities experienced great joy as they embraced their children. The families thanked the authorities who contributed to the group's safe return home.

"Missiles were being destroyed while in the air"

Stating that he is very happy to be reunited with his family, 12-year-old Sami Efe Sönmez said, "Actually, we were a bit scared. But the facilities where we stayed were quite safe. We could see the missiles in the air. The missiles were being destroyed while in the air. But their debris was still falling to the ground. I am very happy to be reunited with my family. My health is good, only my ear hurts a little."

Sami Efe Sönmez's father, Gürkay Sönmez, also thanked the authorities who helped the group arrive safely in Kuşadası, saying, "I am currently the happiest father in the world. Everyone's child is a piece of their soul. God granted me the opportunity to reunite with my piece of soul today. I am grateful to everyone who took close care of our children during the time they were stranded in Doha."

"We had the responsibility of 21 of our children on our shoulders"

Head of the delegation Mustafa Gökçe said, "We traveled for about 26 hours with the children to reach Kuşadası. The families in Kuşadası were very anxious. We were a bit worried because we had the responsibility of 21 of our children on our shoulders. Thank God, today we entrusted our children to their families without even a scratch. I would like to thank everyone who took care of us, especially our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak."

News Source: İHA