The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will see 16-year-old Kuzey Tunçelli make his debut as Türkiye’s youngest Olympian, while 51-year-old Yusuf Dikeç stands as the most seasoned competitor on the national team.
According to the Turkish National Olympic Committee, Türkiye will be represented by 54 women and 48 men across 18 sports, with women outnumbering men for the second time since London 2012.
Türkiye’s athletes will compete in shooting, athletics, badminton, road cycling, boxing, artistic gymnastics, fencing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, rowing, table tennis, modern pentathlon, archery, taekwondo, volleyball, sailing, and swimming.
The youngest and the most experienced
Swimming prodigy Kuzey Tunçelli, born on Aug. 30, 2007, will experience the Olympics for the first time, carrying the title of Türkiye’s youngest athlete at 16.
Meanwhile, veteran shooter Yusuf Dikeç, born on Jan. 1, 1973, will compete in his fifth Olympic Games, having previously participated in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.
Dikeç, at 51, is Türkiye’s most experienced athlete.
Following Tunçelli is 17-year-old archer Elif Berra Gökkır, while 41-year-old shooter Oğuzhan Tüzün follows Dikeç in experience.
Remarkably, 53 athletes on the Turkish team will be making their Olympic debuts.
This list includes:
Shooters: Rümeysa Pelin Kaya, Sena Can, Şevval İlayda Tarhan, Şimal Yılmaz
Athletes: Alperen Acet, Berke Akçam, Buse Savaşkan, Mazlum Demir, Tuğba Danışmaz
Cyclist: Burak Abay
Boxers: Gizem Özer, Hatice Akbaş, Kaan Aykutsun, Samet Gümüş, Tuğrulhan Erdemir
Gymnast: Emre Dodanlı
Fencers: Enver Yıldırım, Nisanur Erbil
Wrestlers: Ali Cengiz, Burhan Akbudak, Enes Başar, Hamza Bakır, İbrahim Çiftçi, Nesrin Baş, Zeynep Yetgil
Rower: Elis Özbay
Modern Pentathlete: Buğra Ünal
Judokas: Fidan Ögel, İbrahim Tataroğlu, Muhammed Ali Demirel, Salih Yıldız, Tuğçe Beder
Table tennis player: Sibel Altınkaya
Archers: Elif Berra Gökkır, Muhammed Abdullah Yıldırmış, Ulaş Berkim Tümer
Taekwondo athletes: Emre Kutalmış Ateşli, Merve Dinçel Kavurat
Volleyball players: Beyza Arıcı, Derya Cebecioğlu, Elif Şahin, Gizem Örge, Melissa Vargas
Sailors: Derin Atakan, Lara Nalbantoğlu, Merve Vatan, Yiğit Yalçın Çitak
Swimmers: Ecem Dönmez, Ela Naz Özdemir, Emir Batur Albayrak, Gizem Güvenç, Kuzey Tunçelli, Zehra Duru Bilgin
Age and experience breakdown
The Turkish Olympic team has an average age of 25.82 years.
Swimming, with an average age of 20.87, is the youngest discipline.
Kuzey Tunçelli, at 16, is the youngest swimmer, while 26-year-olds Berkay Ömer Öğretir and Ecem Dönmez are the most experienced.
Shooting boasts the most seasoned team, with an average age of 31.14 years.
Yusuf Dikeç, at 51, is the oldest, while Şimal Yılmaz, at 21, is the youngest in this discipline.
Most Olympic appearances
Yusuf Dikeç leads with four Olympic appearances (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) and will compete for the fifth time in Paris.
Sailor Deniz Çınar will also participate in his fifth Olympics, having competed in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020.
Several athletes will compete in their fourth Olympics, including shooters İsmail Keleş and Oğuzhan Tüzün, wrestler Taha Akgül, and sailor Alican Kaynar.
The third-time Olympians include athlete Yasmani Copello, wrestler Yasemin Yiğit Adar, judoka Kayra Özdemir, modern pentathlete İlke Özyüksel, and volleyball player Eda Erdem Dündar.
Here’s a glance at some of Türkiye’s Olympians, their disciplines, and their Olympic participation history:
