Mayor Altay: We Will Proudly Uphold the Title of “2023 World Sports Capital”

The 4th World Sports Congress, organized by the European Capitals and Cities of Sport Federation (ACES), was hosted in Konya, the "2023 World Sports Capital."

Under the theme "Sport for All," the 4th World Sports Congress, held at the Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stone Building for Culture and Art, saw participation from sports officials from various countries, including Turkey, the United States, China, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Iceland, Mexico, Panama, New Zealand, and Colombia, along with a representative from UNESCO. Over the course of two days, the congress featured sessions, presentations, and speeches on various sports-related topics, promoting the exchange of knowledge with the aim of making sports more accessible to a wider audience.

Konya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay, addressing sports officials from various countries at the closing session, expressed great joy in hosting the congress in Konya, the "2023 World Sports Capital."

Mayor Altay, expressing his belief that the congress will bring about the best results in promoting and preserving sports for everyone, stated, "Konya is a city that continually proves itself, embraces development, keeps pace with innovations, and maintains a connection between the past and the future in every sense. Our efforts in the field of sports have received appreciation from all quarters. The spirit of unity, peace, and fraternity within sports has always been a part of our city's culture. Therefore, our city continues to proudly uphold the title of '2023 World Sports Capital' in the best possible way."

Highlighting the strong sports infrastructure that Konya has established, Mayor Altay emphasized that with the title of "World Sports Capital," Konya has proven its robust sports foundation to the entire world. He stated, "Konya has become a city of sports with over 600 kilometers of bicycle paths, an international standard athletics track, an Olympic velodrome, Olympic swimming pools, a 42,000-seat stadium, and state-of-the-art sports facilities. We have all the necessary means and capabilities for hosting international sports competitions in our city. In August 2022, we hosted the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games, one of the most comprehensive sports events in the world. We hosted 4,200 athletes from 54 countries and tens of thousands of spectators, providing them with the best hospitality. The 5th Islamic Solidarity Games showed us that in Konya, we can organize any Olympic and sports competition flawlessly. Additionally, we will soon organize the International Konya Half Marathon, one of Turkey's largest marathons. We aim to have a total of 15,000 participants from Turkey and around the world this year. On this occasion, I invite you to the Konya Half Marathon on October 15th, so you can witness this great sporting event."

Following the 4th World Sports Congress hosted by the Konya Metropolitan Municipality on October 9, 10, and 11, foreign sports delegations conducted inspections of Konya's sports facilities and cultural areas.