Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Alper Kesten attended the press launch of the 6th Presidential International Kurtuluş Cup Offshore Yacht Races.
Organized under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Samsun Governorship, and Samsun Metropolitan Municipality, and in cooperation with the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), the 6th edition of the Presidential International Yacht Races is sponsored by DHL Express and organized by the Istanbul Offshore Yacht Racing Club. The launch was held at the Bandırma Ship-Museum and National Struggle Open-Air Museum.
Speaking at the launch meeting, Samsun Governor Orhan Tavlı emphasized that the second stage of the races, the Samsun Kurtuluş Cup, to be held between 14–19 May, carries a particularly significant meaning for them.
Samsun Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Halit Doğan also underlined the importance of the event for Samsun’s branding and promotion.
Mayor Doğan stated that 190 sailors will depart from Istanbul on 14 May, racing 400 nautical miles to Samsun by following the symbolic route of the Bandırma Ferry. The results of the second leg of the competition in Samsun will determine the overall champion of the Kurtuluş Cup.
President of the Istanbul Offshore Yacht Club, Ekrem Yemlihaoğlu, shared that the Kurtuluş Cup leg of the championship, held for the sixth time this year, excites them greatly, adding that 19 sailing teams will compete while battling the “great unknowns and ferocity of the Black Sea.”
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