Olympics Preparation Centers of Turkey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olympics Preparation Centers of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Olimpiyat Hazırlık Merkezleri, TOHM) are facilities governed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports to support sportspeople preparing to shape the future of Turkish sports, especially to train future Olympic athletes.[1] The organization was established in 2015.[2] The main center is in Ankara.[3] There are a total of 22 centers for Olympic sports and one center for Paralympic sports in provinces across the country. A total of 22 different sport disciplines are offered for training under the supervision of experienced coaches.[1][4] Each center provides training in certain branches being at least two and maximum four. The branches are selected by taking into account the sports potential and halls of that city.[4] The centers provide support for academic, social and personal development. Sportspeople continue with their education as students of daytime or boarding. Secondary education is financed by the center. For higher education, many universities grant scholarship.[1]
The organization of the Olympics Preparation Centers was established on 11 April 2015.[2] The first center, as the main base, was opened at Eryaman, Etimesgut in Ankara.[3]
The number of centers for Olympic sports increased from 18 in the beginning to 22.[1][4] The centers are located in the provinces of Ankara, Adana, Antalya, Artvin, Bolu, Bursa, Erzurum, Gaziantep, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Mersin, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun and Trabzon, usw.[1] The only center for Paralympic sports is in Aksaray Province.[1] The 22 supported sports disciplines include archery, athletics, badminton, boxing canoeing, cycling, curling, fencing, gymnastics, ice skating, judo, karate, kayaking, rowing, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting, winter sports, wrestling and Paralympic sports. A total of 1,166 daytime and boarding sportspeople attended the centers as of May 2021.[4]
Admission
Application for admissiom to the center is for daytime sportspeople aged from 14 up to 21 years, and for boarding athletes from 15 up to 21 years of age. Sportspeople in education can stay in the center until the age of 23 yesrs. The selection of athletes is meticulously carried out in accordance with the criteria determined by the Evaluation Committees. These determined criteria can be updated in order to increase success by evaluating the sports development of the athletes. Athlete selection criteria may vary according to the technical characteristics and performance age of each branch.[4]