“Dr. Sadık Ahmet Youth and Sports Center” inaugurated in Bursa
A new multi-purpose facility named the Dr. Sadık Ahmet Youth and Sports Center, featuring a library, sports complex, swimming pool, and café, has officially opened its doors in Bursa. The center was inaugurated with a ceremony attended by Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak.
Constructed by the Yıldırım Municipality, the center was introduced to the public in a well-attended ceremony hosted by Yıldırım Mayor Oktay Yılmaz. Among the attendees were the late Dr. Sadık Ahmet’s wife Işık Ahmet, Bursa Governor Erol Ayyıldız, AK Party Bursa MPs Ahmet Kılıç, Refik Özen, and Emel Gözükara Durmaz, AK Party Provincial Chair Davut Gürkan, BTU Rector Prof. Dr. Naci Çağlar, former Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Çavuşoğlu, former Bursa Metropolitan Mayor Alinur Aktaş, and various local officials, sports figures, and community members.
The facility is designed to serve residents of all ages with a wide range of amenities, including a semi-Olympic indoor swimming pool, gender-separated fitness centers, dedicated children's sports areas, a library with a book café, and a technology research and development center.
“We have not just built a structure, but a place that fosters communal living,” said Mayor Oktay Yılmaz in his opening remarks, emphasizing the social value of the new center.
Minister Osman Aşkın Bak highlighted the importance of youth centers across the country and described the Dr. Sadık Ahmet Youth and Sports Center as a model initiative.
The inauguration was marked by emotional moments as Işık Ahmet reflected on her late husband’s legacy:
“Thirty years have passed since Dr. Sadık Ahmet's death, yet the pain remains as fresh as ever. Seeing such centers open and knowing that young people will grow and thrive here helps ease that pain, even if just a little,” she said.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Çavuşoğlu praised Dr. Sadık Ahmet’s role in changing the destiny of the Turkish community in Western Thrace:
“The light of hope he ignited turned into a torch of freedom. On behalf of both Western Thracian Turks and the people of Bursa, I thank Mayor Oktay Yılmaz for honoring his name with this center.”
Following the ceremony, successful young athletes were awarded, and attendees were given a tour of the new facility.
