The Ministry of Youth and Sports is directing thousands of students to sports through talent screening

The project ‘Turkey Sports Talent Screening and Sports Orientation,’ implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, continues to identify future champion athletes in Elazığ. Within the framework of the project ‘Turkey Sports Talent Screening and Sports Orientation’ initiated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, talent screening programs for 3rd-grade primary school students are ongoing in full swing. The tests and measurements conducted in talent screening by expert coaches under the Elazığ Youth and Sports Provincial Directorate are collected in the data pool of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Subsequently, evaluations will be made, and basic sports training will be provided to determine the sports disciplines in which children are talented and guide them accordingly. In this context, a joint screening between 2017 and 2024 covered the years of earthquakes and the pandemic in Elazığ, where approximately 30,000 students were screened, and those identified with talent were directed to relevant branches through a sports identity development education program to enhance their athletic skills. It was stated that the ‘Athlete Identity Development Training Program,’ which includes extensive and comprehensive trainings to be provided throughout the year under the coordination of the Youth and Sports Provincial Directorate, will continue with tests and measurements conducted during and at the end of the trainings. Abdulsamet Eren, the Director of Youth and Sports Provincial Directorate, stated that the aim of the program is to guide athletes to sports branches based on the evaluated information to match their talents, emphasizing that the talent screening project is ongoing. He said, ‘Our Ministry’s sports talent screening and sports orientation project is ongoing. This year, we set the goal of screening all 3rd graders. We aimed to screen around 9,500 students, of which 7,000 were screened. By the end of the year, this figure will be reached in full. Our project, which started in 2017, is currently ongoing at full speed, and around 30,000 students from Elazığ have been screened. Among these screened students, many of them were very talented. We directed them to various branches. Our very talented athletes who will wave the national flag of our country in the future and wear the crescent-starred jersey have started to emerge. In this regard, we attach importance to sports screening and talent screening. Along with our expert team, we are progressing in Elazığ towards this goal.’ Mustafa Bukra Demir, one of the students participating in talent screening, said, ‘We came with the third graders. I ran here. We came here to find our talent. I did very well in throwing the basketball and running.’ From the students, Beril Yüzbaşı said, ‘I am in the third grade. We ran, jumped, and threw the ball here. I think I did well. I would like to do gymnastics or tennis. Everyone comes here to discover their own talent. They measure their height, weight, running, and throwing. Then they see their talent.’