Yusuf Dikeç speaks out on 'political views': 'I have a line...'

National shooter Yusuf Dikeç, who won a silver medal for Turkey alongside Şevval İlayda Tarhan in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, attended the opening ceremony of the 2024-2025 academic year at MEV College Private Ankara Schools.

Speaking to reporters there, Dikeç commented on his shooting pose becoming a social media trend: "Actually, it wasn't a process we expected. I have been shooting in the same position for 20 years. My friends dug up the footage from when I became world champion in 2011, it's the same position. My eyes were better back then, and I didn't have glasses. I am very happy, both for my country and for myself, that it was accepted by the world. Much more successful names will emerge from these young people."

When asked about some of the negative comments made on a photo he shared with his mother, Dikeç said:

"If we get stuck on those things, believe me, we cannot move forward. We cannot make everyone happy. I have a line. Of course, I have thoughts and opinions. My line is, first and foremost, to love this country and to serve this country. I have never had a political agenda. I have personal political views, and like every Turkish citizen, I will cast my vote during election time. But on the other hand, politicizing it or pulling it to one side is, believe me, not a nice thing. I came here with my identity as an athlete, not my political identity, and I want to continue with my identity as an athlete. As I said, we only go and cast our votes during election time. Believe me, we do not want to see it lean or bend to any side. People living under this flag should have only one political thought: to serve this country."

When reminded that he had previously responded by citing a photo of Zübeyde Hanım, the mother of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Dikeç said: "My mother was very happy. She is 90 years old, may God grant her a long life. When I go, we chat for a long time. My mother is an old-fashioned Ottoman woman. Our leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, I mean, in the end, there is no difference here. Everyone's mother is sacred to them, and mine is sacred to me. A person who does not have love for their mother cannot have love for their nation. Why [criticize] my mother's headscarf... Something beautiful happened for the country, and we don't understand why people feel the need to pull this to one side."

News Source: AA