First badminton facility will open in Turkey

Turkey is counting down to the opening of the first sports complex to be assigned to badminton alone. The sports facility, which is being built in a 5,047-square-meter area in Ankara, is expected to be put into action in the next month. The sports complex has a capacity of 837 people and badminton will be played on its nine courts. It will also be used as an Olympics sports facility. There will also be two training halls in the facility.

The Turkish Badminton Federation's (TBF) headquarter and a 112-people accommodation camping center for the athletes will be in it. TBF Chairman Murat Özmekik said, "Turkey will have a great sports center for developing badminton in the country. Badminton's heart will beat in the new center in Ankara. Local and international championships will be organized here. The area of the facility has been assigned by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality to our federation. I thank mayor Melih Gökçek. Seventy percent of the facility has been built by resources provided by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. The rest of it was provided by the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Spor Toto General Directory.

"The complex will also be an Olympics training center. Athletes and coaches from abroad will also use the facility for training. Local athletes and coaches from Turkey's 81 provinces will be included in national team development camps. There will be training and self-improvement seminars every week. There will be English courses for national athletes and coaches. We will also hold social responsibility projects and start therapy through badminton for disadvantaged youths."