Türkiye Underwater Federation’s newly elected President Kadir Sağlam is setting ambitious goals for 2025, targeting top rankings across multiple disciplines.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) after his election, following his appointment as the trustee in 2024, Sağlam outlined his vision for the federation.
Despite facing significant challenges, he proudly acknowledged the federation’s successful year.
“We inherited a federation in disarray, with no access to athlete or coach data. We built everything from scratch, revamping files, archives and working closely with the team,” he said.
Sağlam highlighted several standout achievements for Turkish underwater athletes in 2024.
Most notably, the spear-fishing team made history, with both the men’s and women’s national teams clinching top honors at the 2024 European-African Championship.
The men’s team, led by Fahrihan Uysal, Hakan Gencer, Serhan Dağdan and Hüseyin Günel, claimed their first-ever European title, while the women’s team, including Elçin Güner, Berivan Şimşek, Ebru Karabulut and Rukiye Aydın, secured second place.
In individual events, Gencer earned a gold and Uysal a silver.
The Turkish diving community also made waves at the 2024 Freediving World Championships in Serbia.
National team member Adasu Ramazanoğlu broke three world records and won gold in multiple apnea categories, while Nida Murathan Bulut triumphed in three separate disciplines, earning three world championships.
Further achievements in Serbia included notable results from Ege Kerem Yamanoğlu, who secured two silver and one bronze medal in the men’s categories, and Asya Ceren Yılmaz, who earned three bronze medals.
Several other athletes, including Polat Kaan Perçiner, Derinsu Şirin Şilli and Toprak Toprak, also contributed to the federation’s success, securing world championships and podium finishes.
Sağlam also pointed to the Türkiye Underwater Hockey Men’s U-19 team’s third-place finish at the World Championship in Malaysia, while the Men’s Underwater Rugby team claimed a European title in Greece, and the Women’s Underwater Rugby team earned second place.
Reflecting on these successes, Sağlam noted that hard work pays off. “We’ve also seen triumphs in the European Underwater Photography Championship and introduced new disciplines such as ‘target shooting in the pool.’ Our flagship events remain scuba diving and lifeguarding, where we aim for even greater successes,” he said.
Sağlam revealed that the federation has set its sights on developing a stronger digital presence, enhancing training materials and visuals for diving and lifeguard courses to meet international standards. “Our primary goal is to elevate lifeguarding and diving to global standards within the next year,” he said.
Looking ahead to 2025, Sağlam expressed confidence in the federation’s potential, especially in underwater hockey, spear-fishing, freediving, underwater photography, and underwater rugby.
Freediving, while already popular, still requires more time to reach world-class standards in Turkey, according to Sağlam.
He praised star athletes like Şahika Ercümen, who has achieved remarkable success in freediving.
“Ercümen is a disciplined and successful athlete, and with emerging talents like Devrim Cenk Ulusoy and Derya Can, we’re confident that we will see even greater accomplishments. With hard work and commitment, these athletes will go far,” Sağlam said.
Sağlam also celebrated the achievements of Yağmur Ergün in Poland and expressed his faith in the federation’s growing strength, highlighting Devrim Cenk Ulusoy’s leadership of the freediving national team. “We have excellent coaches, and with their guidance, we will continue pushing the boundaries of freediving,” Sağlam concluded.