The deadly earthquakes that occurred this week in Turkey overwhelmed the sports journalist Bora Ozer with the childhood trauma that has accompanied him since he was 7 years old. “I am a survivor of the disaster in 1999, and I am now experiencing it all over again,” Ozer says in a conversation from Istanbul with Walla! sport. “I grew up in Kocaeli, and the epicenter was really close to us. Everything around collapsed and was destroyed, and we lost many relatives and friends.
“Fortunately, our house survived the disaster, but we were afraid to return to it. For four months we lived in a small, cramped tent, and we received food from charity organizations. There were no means of communication then as there are today, and it took a long time before we understood the condition of our dear people. I remember How my parents dug openings between the ruins with their hands to try and understand what was happening. My grandmother’s house was half an hour away from us, and it took us two days to get there. Our city recovered and returned to normal life only after ten years, and we carry this trauma to this day.”
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Ozer (30) is a basketball reporter for the international website “Eurohops”. In ordinary reality, he was supposed to cover tonight’s intriguing Euroleague match between Anadolu Efes and Real Madrid, and tomorrow travel to the other side of the city to closely follow the match between Fenerbahçe and Olimpia Milan. But Turkish sports were naturally and directly affected by the earthquake, and all events in the country were cancelled.
“This disaster is bigger and heavier than it was in 1999, because then there was one strong earthquake, and this time there were two. 11 cities were significantly damaged. Some were completely wiped out, and in others most of the buildings collapsed and were destroyed. I fear that the final death toll will exceed 50 thousand. This The most terrible thing that has ever happened to my country and my people, and it is clear that it did not skip the sports field. Teams in the first league in football were damaged, athletes were killed and others are still missing and trapped under the rubble, including players of the Turkish volleyball team, basketball players, coaches and managers.”
The one who escaped the inferno was Gaziantep’s basketball team, which was not in town at the time of the earthquake on the night of Sunday and Monday, because it was early to go to the Eurocup game in Germany, in which it defeated Crailsheim yesterday. Turk Telecom Ankara also appeared as usual in the Eurocup yesterday, and won in Trento. “I don’t know what was the consideration of the people in the clubs, because they were offered to postpone the games. It makes sense that they took advantage of the fact that they flew to the game, and to escape from the oppressive thoughts of what is happening at home, and perhaps they also wanted to encourage the fans and themselves a little through a victory,” Ozer estimates.
However, the Turkish journalist is pessimistic about the immediate future of the sport in the country; In addition, Istanbul is scheduled to host the Champions League soccer finals in the spring, in what currently seems like a distant and perhaps unrealistic dream. “We are in a particularly painful moment, and it will take us a long time to heal. Millions of people’s lives have changed and been drastically turned upside down. I don’t see any sport being played in Turkey in the foreseeable future. No one has power, there are teams that have lost coaches and players, and will not be able to perform again This season. I assume they will freeze the relegations, and I don’t expect any football, basketball or volleyball activity for at least the next month. I believe Eps and Fenerbahce will reappear at some point in the Euroleague, but it’s a huge disaster that has hit many areas and I don’t know what state we’ll be in.
“The earthquake in 1999 happened during the summer break, and football returned to activity after three weeks, when one of the teams from the disaster-stricken areas played half a season away from home. This time, we are in the middle of the season, many cities and many teams have been affected, and the damage is greater. I don’t see how It will be possible to complete the season in a normal way, and the truth is that this is not the issue that bothers anyone at this stage.”
Beyond the personal and sporting aspects, Ozer is pained by the political situation in Turkey. “Since the disaster 23 years ago, we have been paying a special tax to prepare for such disasters, but our government was not prepared at all. The authorities here are far from organized. Many areas have not yet received any help, and no one has any idea how great the damage is there. People are digging through The ruins with their own hands. Mayors who are identified with the opposition didn’t even receive a phone call from the president. At first they didn’t let the army in, and they activated it only after 34 hours, when in the previous earthquake it saved thousands of lives.”