The fifth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games officially started in Türkiye's Konya province in a colorful opening ceremony on Tuesday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan inaugurated the games after attending dinner with representatives of the participating nations.
"I am starting the sports activities of the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games. I congratulate all those who contributed to this on behalf of myself and my nation. Good luck," Erdoğan said at the opening ceremony.
Before inaugurating the games, the president held meetings with Azerbaijani, Turkish Cypriot, Palestinian, Albanian and Algerian leaders.
More than 4,000 athletes from 56 countries are participating in the tournament, which will end on Aug. 18. Athletes and teams will compete in 24 fields. Türkiye joins the games with 461 athletes in all fields.
Minister of Youth and Sports Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu said he believes Türkiye is happy to host the event, as he highlighted the importance of sports.
"The unifying force of sports definitely comes to the forefront during such organizations," he said.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Hissein Brahim Taha, secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, thanked Türkiye for hosting the event.
Taha said it is important that Islamic countries hold such events which strengthen intercultural dialogue.
Saudi Arabia's Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, who is also serving as the head of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, thanked Erdoğan and the Turkish people for holding the sports event.
The games were postponed by a year due to restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, some 355 medals are up for grabs for athletes.
Saudi Arabia first hosted the Islamic Solidarity Games in 2005. The idea is the development of athletes and to boost solidarity and ties through sports between the countries of the Muslim world. However, non-Muslim citizens of those countries can also participate in the games. The last edition of the games was held in Azerbaijan's Baku in 2017.
In the previous games, Türkiye grabbed 305 medals in total, including 95 gold, 101 silver and 109 bronze medals.
In Konya, athletes will compete in shooting events, athletics, three-on-three basketball, cycling, bocce, gymnastics, fencing, soccer, wrestling, weightlifting, handball, judo, karate, kickboxing, table tennis, archery, taekwondo, volleyball, swimming, traditional archery, para-athletics, para-table tennis, para-archery and para-swimming.
Participants will be competing in the games held at 12 different venues across Konya, including stadiums and sports centers.
