A few days ago the United States and Iran met on the court. Sports can sometimes serve as a way to diffuse situations. It was welcome news to read the headlines “Spain loses 2nd game as Turkey stays perfect.” Also, many sports lovers are excited to hear that the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) seems pleased with the choice of Kayseri as one of the venues for the 2010 World Championship.If you have spent any time at all in Turkey, you’ll have noticed that Turks love both playing and watching soccer and other sports. Basketball is also becoming more and more popular. Gyms are everywhere in the major urban areas. Indoor pools are becoming more common, whereas in the past you could only enjoy them at major hotels. Some tennis courts are available for free and others for a fee.
Turks are becoming more aware of health; a few jog regularly. Jogging is not as common for women, but this is changing, too. In urban areas, motorcycling, bicycling and roller blades are definitely increasing in number. More road accidents occur as they disobey every law.
Sports of the elite: Skiing is possible during the winter months on Uludağ near Bursa, in Kartalkaya near Bolu, in Erzurum and in Antalya. It is expensive and crowded over the weekends.
Turkey has impressively developed its health and golf tourism. If you like to golf, there are some country clubs on the outskirts of İstanbul, or golf resorts near Antalya. This, too, is very expensive due to the cost of upkeep of greens in a hot country.
Another sport that Turks love to participate in is the lottery and gambling. I grew up in a famous small spa town which was also well known for gambling and horse racing. Though Hot Springs, Arkansas is traditionally best known for the natural spring water that gives it its name, flowing out of the ground at a temperature of about 64 degrees Celsius, gangsters and illegal gambling were evidently common between the 1920s and the 1940s.
I used to love to walk along the promenade as a child and imagine what it was like in the bathhouses. I never dreamed I’d be living in Turkey where hamams are on every corner. Along with its Bathhouse Row, one of downtown Hot Springs’ most noted landmarks is the Arlington Hotel, where my mother worked as a social director. It is said that it was a favored retreat for Al Capone, but that was before we moved there.
The national lottery in Turkey is Milli Piyango, and the largest jackpots are on New Year’s Day and on national holidays. A Today’s Zaman reader sent me this questions a while back:
Dear Charlotte: I found it really interesting that around New Year’s Eve, a Turkish coworker collected money from the office personnel saying that he would be buying some lottery tickets for the office. He mentioned that we could win millions of dollars. I was surprised that having a lottery was acceptable here. Is the lottery very common in Turkey? Felicia (İstanbul)
Dear Felicia: Although you will notice lottery stands and shops around year-round, particularly around New Year’s Day, it seems that nearly everyone buys a ticket in the hopes of winning something. There is a one-in-five chance that you will win the “amorti” and get your ticket money back. The winning numbers are published in newspapers. An instant lottery and a pool system of gambling on the results of football matches are also available.
Turks believe that if a pigeon messes on you, you should go and buy a lottery card and expect to win!
Gambling and casinos were shut down in Turkey some years ago by a government with strong Islamic sympathies. Visitors are surprised to hear that this sport ever existed in Turkey and that most casinos moved to Cyprus and were set up in large hotels. Travel agencies organize weekend gambling tours to Cyprus for those who like to indulge.
Horseracing is allowed in Turkey. Some Turks follow horseracing on TV or at the track regularly.
Another new trend in Turkey is women’s football teams, an interesting but recent development growing in popularity.
“I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people’s accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man’s failures.” -- Earl Warren
Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.” Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com
