YÖK & AA
The President of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), Erol Özvar, announced the "Sports Friendly Campus" project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, aimed at supporting students' participation in sports. The project was introduced at Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) in Samsun with the participation of around 100 national athletes from 35 different sports.
The announcement ceremony was attended by Özvar, along with Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Halis Yunus Ersöz, Higher Education Executive Board Member Prof. Dr. Naci Gündoğan, OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Yavuz Ünal, Samsun University Rector Prof. Dr. Mahmut Aydın, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Selim Eren, Prof. Dr. Sevim Alışır, Prof. Dr. Murat Terzi, University Secretary General Prof. Dr. İdris Varıcı, and numerous academics and students.
Özvar stated that the "Sports Friendly Campus" Project will annually assess the performance of universities in this area through specific evaluation criteria. At the event, Özvar kicked off a bicycle race involving students and initiated a basketball game. He later played a mini-soccer match with the university's football team and academics.
In his speech, Özvar emphasized the significance of announcing the project during the week of the 19 May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day at Ondokuz Mayıs University, where he also celebrated the occasion. He discussed how sports contribute to individuals' physical, social, psychological, cultural, and intellectual development, fostering a healthy society. Sports also play a crucial role in forming personality, developing character traits, and facilitating adaptation to the environment by enhancing one's ability to compete according to specific rules.
Pointing to the development plans, Özvar highlighted that encouraging active participation in sports and promoting sports as a lifestyle from schools to the masses is a fundamental principle in Turkish sports policy. He emphasized that due to the global pandemic and digital addiction, physical inactivity has become a significant problem among the youth in recent years. Research shows that 83% of university students lead a sedentary lifestyle with little to no physical activity. Özvar concluded, "Therefore, we aim to increase awareness and participation in physical activities and regular exercise on our campuses, enhance the youth's sports consciousness, and transform exercise into a lifestyle habit among young people."
President of the Council of Higher Education Özvar detailed the objectives of the "Sports Friendly Campus" Project as follows: "The project aims to utilize university students' free time effectively, protect and support the physical and mental health and balanced development of our youth, encourage everyone on our campuses, especially young people, towards sports and physical activity, and to make regular sports participation a philosophy of life. It also seeks to improve sports facilities and activities on campuses, increase collaborations with stakeholders in sports activities, expand student groups and clubs to enhance their sports activities, ensure the participation of disadvantaged and needy students in sports activities, support the physical activities of the academic and administrative staff of our universities, and increase awareness of creating sports-friendly and healthy campuses."
Özvar mentioned that most universities possess modern sports facilities equipped with the latest technology, and the project aims to support students and staff in maintaining healthy lifestyles and engaging in sports. He explained the collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Youth and Sports: "As the Council of Higher Education, we have developed the Sports Friendly Campus Evaluation Criteria through long-term consultations with our field expert academics, health, sports, and culture department heads from various universities, and our University Sports Games Federation, among other stakeholders. Through these criteria, the performance of our universities in this area will be measured annually."
Özvar elaborated on the performance criteria prepared, which include a range of factors from whether universities have a mission and vision related to the "sports-friendly campus approach" and a strategy based on this, to national and international certifications for health and sports activities on campus, and preventive awareness programs aimed at combating addiction among campus residents. He also highlighted that the criteria include national and international competitions held at universities, individual sports activities, team sports, mental activities, and the maintenance, security, and cleanliness of facilities.
Özvar provided further details: "Applications from our universities will be evaluated by impartial and expert panelists, and the evaluation results will be shared with the public every year during the week of the 19 May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day. We also plan to include this area in our annual University Monitoring and Evaluation Report. The Sports Friendly Campus Project will be carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Universities that encourage their students to participate in regular sports activities will be highlighted and ranked, and various flags determined by the Council of Higher Education and our Ministry will be awarded to these universities. This ranking will annually assess the contribution of our universities to sports."
Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Halis Yunus Ersöz, emphasized the importance of the project initiated at universities for the mass popularization of sports, stating, “In terms of spreading sports to the grassroots and in the context of making sports more accessible, we have launched a significant project that involves the university youth in our country. With our Sports Friendly Campus project, we will encourage young university students to be more active, making physical activity a part of their lives. Together, through the Sports Friendly Campus Project, we will achieve the mass popularization of sports.”
At the end of the event, YÖK President Özvar presented awards to the champion athletes from the Ondokuz Mayıs University football team, which won the Football Super League organized by the Türkiye University Sports Federation, and the university's women's taekwondo team.
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