One of the meaningful events implemented by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality in line with the vision of a disabled-friendly city, the Para Dance Turkey Championship was held with great enthusiasm and participation at the Kültürpark Celal Atik Sports Hall with the slogan “Remove Barriers with Dance”. The tournament, organized by the Turkish Physically Disabled Sports Federation and organized by the Turkish Dance Sports Federation for the first time in 2025, was brought to life with the valuable support of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. 24 successful athletes from Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and Kütahya participated in the organization, which aims to increase interest in the Paralympic branches.
Performances Without Barriers Were Performed With The Slogan “Remove Barriers With Dance”
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Prof. Dr. Pınar Okyay, Turkey Dance Sports Federation President Barış Korkmaz, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Sports Club President Ertuğrul Tugay, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Youth and Sports Services Department President Mehmet Anıl Kaçar and many citizens attended the organization and supported the athletes. The Turkish championship of para dance, a branch specially adapted for individuals with physical disabilities to practice the art and sport of dance, provided emotional and impressive moments for the audience.
Full Support from Izmir Metropolitan Municipality
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Prof. Dr. Pınar Okyay, who made the opening speech of the championship, stated that the healing power of dance has also been scientifically proven and emphasized that providing opportunities for such events is very valuable. Okyay stated that as İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, they are always with disabled individuals and are ready to meet their demands. Barış Korkmaz, President of the Turkish Dance Sports Federation, stated that para dance was included in their federation in 2023 and that they have achieved significant success in a short time. Korkmaz said that their goal is to get athletes out of their homes and include them in the activity and that they will strive to reach disabled athletes with new projects. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Youth and Sports Services Department President Anıl Kaçar also stated that they are working to create a sports city accessible to everyone with the vision of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay and expressed his pleasure in witnessing the para dance story that exhibits the magnificent harmony of sports and art. Kaçar emphasized that İzmir Metropolitan Municipality continues all its activities with the understanding of equality and accessibility.
Winners Head to the Netherlands
After the competitions were completed, the athletes who won were determined by the referees' evaluations. At the award ceremony, medals and cups were presented to the competitors by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Sports Club President Ertuğrul Tugay, Federation President Barış Korkmaz, Youth and Sports Services Department President Anıl Kaçar and Youth and Sports Services managers. The athletes who competed in different categories in the championship displayed impressive performances.
Names and Categories of Champions
In the Adult Class 1 Duo Latin category, Abdül Kadir Ünal and Nezihe Koçan Ünal came in first, Mustafa Hakan and Gizem Sarıgöl came in second. In the Adult Class 1 Men's Singles, Barış Bayraktar came in first, Ramazan Kılıç came in second, and Mehmet Sinan Tiryaki came in third. In the Adult Class 1 Women's Singles Dancesport, Nezihe Koçak Ünal came in first, Gizem Sarıgöl came in second, Hava Özkul came in third, and Cemalinur Susam came in fourth. In the Adult Class 1 Women's Singles Power Dancesport, Gizem Sarıgöl came in first, Özlem Babasız came in second, Hava Özkul came in third, and Yılmaz Teke came in fourth.
In the Adult Class 1&2 Women's Singles Dancesport, Yasemin Uğurcan came in first, Yeliz Güllü came in second, and Ebru Akköz came in third. In the Adult Class 2 Men's Singles Dancesport, Mehmet Arık came in first, Abdul Kadir Ünal came in second, Mustafa Hakan came in third, Ömer Talha Yürümez came in fourth, and Emre Alaz came in fifth.
In the Freestyle Power category, Havva Özkul came in first, Yılmaz Teke second, Gizem Sarıgöl third and Özlem Babasız fourth. In the Freestyle Youth category, Ömer Talha Yürümez came in first and Bahar Bozkurt second. In the Freestyle Women's Singles Class 1, Nezihe Koçak Ünal came in first, Gizem Sarıgöl second, Cemalinur Susam third and Özlem Babasız fourth. In the Freestyle Women's Singles Classic 2, Yasemin Uğurcan came in first, Yeliz Güllü second and Ebru Akköz third.
In Freestyle Men's Singles Class 1, Barış Bayraktar came in first, Ramazan Kılıç came in second, and Mehmet Sinan Tiryaki came in third. In Freestyle Men's Singles Class 2, Mehmet Arık came in first, Abdül Kadir Ünal came in second, Mustafa Hakan came in third, and Emre Alaz came in fourth.
In Freestyle Combi Class 1, Barış Bayraktar and Melisa tarzın came first, Ramazan Kılıç and Sibel Şenol came second. In Freestyle Combi Classic 2, Mehmet Arık and Maya Kanun came first. In Freestyle Duo Class 1, Abdül Kadir Ünal and Nezihe Koçak Ünal came first, Mustafa Hakan and Gizem Sarıgöl came second. In Freestyle Duo Class 2, Mehmet Arık and Yasemin Uğurcan achieved success.
The successful athletes who are successful will have the right to participate in the preliminary round of the Para Dance World Championship to be held in the Netherlands and will have the pride of representing Türkiye in the international arena. This championship exhibited one of the best examples of how obstacles can be overcome with determination and art in Izmir.
