Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu: We will host Formula 1

Former Minister of Youth and Sports, AK Party Izmir Deputy Dr. Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu answered the questions of university students and signaled that Formula 1 could be hosted again.

AK Party Izmir Deputy Dr. Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu held a conversation with university students on “Youth, Politics and Future” at Izmir University of Economics. Referring to the youth investments and projects in Izmir, Kasapoğlu said, “Izmir is a dynamic city. It is a dynamic city with its universities, the number of students, the sociability of the students, their closeness to art, and their interest in sports. As both the government and institutions, we focus on youth in these processes. We work in a focused manner. The young people of this young city are in a much more advantageous position in terms of accessibility and access to opportunities. We have brought Izmir to a very different point in terms of sports with its university and other infrastructure. We have two huge stadiums in Izmir, not only in one branch. Göztepe Stadium and Alsancak Stadium are the most exemplary stadiums in the world. We have two new Olympic pools, one in Halkapınar and the other in Alsancak. Hopefully, we will open the one in Halkapınar. We are building sports infrastructure that appeals to every branch. Our target is young people, but we will ensure that all of Izmir benefits from these facilities. In addition, our Youth Centers are at the service of our young people. For example, Alsancak Youth Center. We have a Youth Center inside the stadium in Alsancak. Turkey’s most special youth center. “Of course, our youth investments will continue hand in hand with young people,” he said.

“We will bring Karşıyaka Stadium to Izmir”

Referring to the construction process of Karşıyaka Stadium, Kasapoğlu said, “We have built more than 40 new stadiums across Turkey. There is no second country that has made such a new, modern investment in the 20-year period. Just as we have renewed Turkey’s sports infrastructure in all branches in the 20-year period.” Likewise, in football, we have built an infrastructure that would surpass the most famous stadiums in the world. Our goal was to build Karşıyaka Stadium, Göztepe Stadium and Alsancak Stadium at the same time. That’s why we laid the foundations of all three stadiums at the same time. We prepared the projects, went out to tender and the foundations were laid. We thought of opening it in a planned way, and the first stadium we would open was Karşıyaka Stadium, and I was one of those who pressed that button at that triple groundbreaking ceremony, and we set out sincerely and completed two of the three stadiums. We laid the foundation, but unfortunately, in that process, we encountered obstacles, especially from Karşıyaka Municipality, the mayor of that period, and the chamber of architects. They stopped it once, we went to court and objected. The court found us right, we started again. They went to court again. This time he stopped again. and unfortunately, although the most beautiful stadiums of Izmir and the most beautiful stadiums of Turkey, Göztepe Stadium and Alsancak Stadium, were put into service, Karşıyaka Stadium was not put into operation. I leave the discretion to the public and the Karşıyaka community. In the following process, we talked to both Karşıyaka Municipality and Metropolitan Municipality. They said, ‘If you give us this stadium, we will build it.’ Of course, we said, ‘We can give it to you too.’ We sent the protocols. Those protocols have not been responded to yet. But President Cemil Tugay has just started. He made a statement during this process that we will build the stadium before the election. Of course, I told him that we would support him again at this point and that we would restart the steps we took at the transfer point. We will meet with him in the coming days. We will be constructive as always in this process. As always, we are in favor of taking steps and approaching positively to bring that stadium to our Izmir and Karşıyaka. “And we will present our stance in the same way,” he said.

“We will host Formula”

Stating that the necessary work has been done to organize Formula 1 in Istanbul, Kasapoğlu said, “Automobile sports is a branch in which we, as a country, invest and are one step ahead every day, and I believe that we will be in a more assertive position in the coming period, just like in other branches. Now Turkey It is a sports country. Previously, there were a few branches such as weightlifting and wrestling, but now Turkey is assertive in gymnastics, boxing, volleyball and archery. That is why Turkey is assertive in automobile sports and motor sports. We have had an Automobile Sports experience in the past years. “Our Federation and our ministry are working on this point. I am hopeful about the 2026 process. We have a very special track in Istanbul. I believe that we will host the Formula One race track,” he said.

Emphasizing that they have tripled the bed capacity in Izmir in 3 years regarding dormitories, Kasapoğlu said:

“Turkey is a leading country in terms of dormitories and public dormitories. We have a bed capacity of nearly one million. There is no other example of this in the world. If you add up Europe, this figure does not add up. Of course, this is not just a numerical situation. There is also comfort. Of course, there may be disruptions and disrupted rotations, but when we look at the whole, we are talking about a truly ambitious system. Especially when compared to the past, we have rooms for 3-4 people with a sink, a bathroom, and 24-hour hot water in rooms that used to accommodate 20-25 people, with hot water 1-2 days a week. While we are talking about many problematic situations such as water supply and heating problems, there is a different point now. Of course, troublesome situations can be encountered from time to time, but I believe that our relevant institutions are taking steps to make these processes more positive every day, both in terms of bed capacity and comfort. We are walking towards the days when we will be even more ahead in the coming period in an area where we are very ahead. For example, we have tripled our bed capacity in Izmir in the last three years. This is an important step. There were 180 thousand beds in Turkey in the early 2000s. Now there are 1 million beds. We offer a living space with its social environments and sports opportunities. “And at this point, I believe that with your contributions, we can take these processes to higher levels in a participatory manner,” he said.

Referring to the importance of young people’s ideas regarding the solutions to be brought to the issue of stray animals, Kasapoğlu said, “The reality of stray animals is a reality we live in a social sense. It is possible to observe and experience this all over Turkey. We have people here who face grievances and lose their lives. Every living creature is precious to us. O That’s why, as the government, we are discussing the issue with a broad perspective, taking into account all kinds of sensitivities and using common sense. I believe that the work we will do will result in a solution with the measures to be taken to prevent the grievances from happening again, with our philosophy, belief and understanding that considers every life as valuable. ” he used the sentences. – IZMIR