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Sureyya Ayhan, the Golden Turkish
Girl
The European 1500-meter championship was the pinnacle of success
for Sureyya. She ran the world’s fastest time for the year, and
left the track with her first European gold medal. Prior to
Sureyya Ayhan no Turkish women athlete had ever achieved this
magnitude of success.
Sureyya Ayhan’s success must be evaluated in two manners. On a
personal level, her exploits on the track have won the hearts of
many sports minded international and national communities. She
is a heroine and national icon for many girls in Turkey.
A
second category is the political and socio-cultural perspective
of her achievements. Turkey is a democracy yet predominantly
Muslim country, and Sureyya Ayhan is a modern Turkish-Muslim
women. In essence she is like a great painter
who successfully integrates all contrasts and colors of
religion, culture and politics. She has all the elements of her
background and culture in harmony and it works. Her success has
been achieved within the context of a ‘just society’ and she
embodies it working to its perfection.
Ayhan’s athletic artistry teaches us a powerful lesson about
cultural differences and about the way people view and present
themselves. Her achievements invite us to dream about our own
success, and her personality embodies the goodwill of the
culture, which she so aptly represents. Friendship and good will
through sports isn’t just a concept, she lives it each day and
furthers the positive values of her country in the process. I
believe most importantly, misconceptions about sport, the
abilities of women and the religion of Islam have been hit hard
by her unique accomplishments.
The above article is by Dr. Ergun Yurdadon, Chair of
Recreational Management, The United States Sports Academy.
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