Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor participated in the swimming race held on the second day of the 6th Izmir Gulf Festival, which brings together sea enthusiasts in Izmir. Tunç Soyer also participated. Stating that it is an indescribable happiness to see athletes competing in the Gulf after the work carried out in line with the "Swimmable Gulf" target, Mayor Soyer said, "But I know that this will continue. Alsancak, Bostanlı, Karşıyaka It will also become swimmable. "As we enter the second century of the Republic, we will live in a much more enjoyable city," he said.
Izmir Gulf Festival, organized for the sixth time this year by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, started the second day with the swimming race held in Güzelbahçe Maltepe. Professional athletes also showed great interest in the competition, in which approximately 100 people participated in 350 categories on the 2th anniversary of the Republic. Among the athletes who participated in the 1,5 and 3 kilometer swimming race were Yasemin Altıntaş and Murat Öz, who swam across the Catalina Channel in California in 13 hours, and national athletes Bengisu Avcı and Emre Erdoğan, who represented our country in international competitions. Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, who started the competition and also symbolically participated in the swimming race. Tunç Soyer He competed with the number 35.
We will have a viable, lively and colorful bay.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor stated that swimming in Izmir Bay was among his promises and that this was realized step by step. Tunç Soyer, “We observe the change in the Gulf every day. We are investing over 11 billion lira in our Living Gulf program. We built over 260 kilometers of rainwater and wastewater separation channels. We are getting the results of all this. Our athletes swim in the Gulf. I am very excited, it is an indescribable happiness to see this, but I know that this will continue. This is the part that really excites me. Alsancak, Bostanlı, Karşıyaka It will also become swimmable, I know that. The analyzes we make every month show that the improvement is gradually increasing. The underwater photographs we take every month show that the water is becoming increasingly clear. Everything is going positive. As we enter the second century of the Republic, we will live in a much more enjoyable city. We will always move our goal further. "We will have a living, vibrant and colorful Gulf," he said.
Our goal is to reconcile everyone with the gulf and make them swim by holding clean competitions in a clean gulf.
Ege University Faculty of Sports Sciences Head of Coaching Education Department Prof. Dr. Bahtiyar Özçaldıran said, “We are holding the open water swimming races that we organize together with Izmir Metropolitan Municipality on the 100th anniversary of the Republic. We are extremely proud to organize such an organization. Our goal is to reconcile everyone with the bay and make them swim by holding clean competitions in a clean bay. For this purpose, we are organizing the swimming race for the second time this year. Our bay is getting cleaner day by day. Among our athletes participating in this competition are Yasemin Altıntaş and Murat Öz, who swam across the Catalina Channel in California in 13 hours, and national athletes Bengisu Avcı and Emre Erdoğan, who represented our country in international competitions. We invited our intercontinental swimming athletes and they came. "Their participation makes the competition even more known," he said.
The race was held at the point closest to the inner Gulf
In the open swimming race held in Güzelbahçe Maltepe, together with Mayor Soyer, İZSU General Manager Ali Hıdır Köseoğlu supported the athletes by swimming in the Gulf. The swimming competition held within the scope of the Izmir Gulf Festival so far has been held at the point closest to the inner Gulf. After Güzelbahçe, the open water swimming race is planned to be held in Narlıdere next year.
