Mustafa V. Koç Sports Awards honor Turkey's Women's National Goalball Team and National Swimmer Kuzey Tunçelli

Both the Turkish Women’s National Goalball Team and Turkish National Swimmer Kuzey Tunçelli have been awarded the Mustafa V. Koç Sports Award, which commemorates Mustafa V. Koç’s vision for the power of sports. This year’s awards coincide with the 100th anniversary of Turkey’s first participation as a contender in the Olympic Games.

Established in collaboration with the Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK) to reflect Mustafa V. Koç’s lifelong passion for sports as a unifying and transformative force as well as its role in personal and social development, the Mustafa V. Koç Sports Award has been awarded for the eighth time this year. Members of the Koç family, executives from Koç Holding and Koç Group companies, TMOK leaders, and invited guests gathered for the presentation of the Mustafa V. Koç Sports Award, whose enduring theme is the recognition of those who contribute to Olympic values. Following a thorough evaluation of nearly a hundred candidates, the Women’s National Goalball Team and National Swimmer Kuzey Tunçelli were chosen as this year’s recipients of the Mustafa V. Koç Sports Award. The Women’s National Goalball Team, whose achievements have strengthened the position of women in sports and provided a role model for girls, has demonstrated through this award that all obstacles can be overcome. That Kuzey Tunçelli has won the Mustafa V. Koç Sports Award at such a youthful age also exemplifies the success that young people can achieve when they dare to dream and strive for their goals. Beginning in 2024, marking the 100th anniversary of Turkey’s first appearance at the Olympic Games, the Mustafa V. Koç Sports Award will be awarded annually to both an Olympic and a Paralympic athlete, team, or organization.

Turkish Women’s National Goalball Team secures third consecutive championship at the Summer Paralympic Games

In a stunning demonstration of remarkable resilience and setting a global example of sustainable success, the Turkish Women’s National Goalball Team earned a place in our country’s sports history by winning bronze at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympics. By bringing home medals from Tokyo in 2020 and most recently from Paris in 2024, they also became the first team in history to win three consecutive championships at the Summer Paralympics. With this extraordinary accomplishment, the Turkish Women’s National Goalball Team have likewise clinched their place in the annals of world sports history. Champions at every Paralympic Games they’ve competed in, the team won bronze in 2014 and silver in 2018 at the World Championships before achieving their first-ever World Championship title in 2022. With their historic achievements at the Paralympic Games, this team inspires the next generation of athletes and serves as a role model for young girls considering a future in sports.

Kuzey Tunçelli makes history as the first Turkish swimmer ever to compete in an Olympic final

Kuzey Tunçelli, the year’s other 2024 Mustafa V. Koç Sports Award recipient, has become a role model in Turkish swimming for having achieved global success at so young an age. Tunçelli achieved a historic first by becoming the first Turkish swimmer to qualify as an Olympic finalist in the 1,500-meter freestyle. With a time of 14:41.22 in the Olympic final, he secured fifth place and shattered the World Junior record. During the 800-meter freestyle heats, he also broke the Turkish record with an impressive time of 7:47.29. At the 2024 European Aquatics Championships, he made history by winning the 1,500-meter freestyle, securing one of Turkey’s first-ever gold medals at a senior level. He set a world record as the first under-15 swimmer to complete the 1,500-meter freestyle in less than 15 minutes. In 2023, Tunçelli became the first Turkish athlete to receive the Piotr Nurowski Best European Young Athlete award from the EOC. He then went on to win his second consecutive European Junior Championship title at the 2024 European Junior Swimming Championships, setting new World Junior, European Junior, and Turkish records in the 17-18-19+ age group with a time of 14:41.89.