Coaches affiliated with the Osmaniye Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports are visiting village schools one by one to identify and guide talented children into sports.
As part of the “Türkiye Sportive Talent Screening and Orientation Program,” jointly conducted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of National Education, activities are also being carried out in village schools across Osmaniye.
Within the scope of this initiative, coaches from the Osmaniye Provincial Directorate are visiting primary schools in rural areas and conducting a series of sports tests for third-grade students.
Following height and weight measurements, children showcase their abilities in specially designed stations that assess arm, leg and hand strength, as well as overall body coordination.
Ferit Alper, the provincial coordinator of the talent screening program at the directorate, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the project began in the 2017-2018 academic year and later evolved into a joint program between the two ministries.
“This screening includes height and weight measurement, flexibility, seated and standing jump height, arm span, vertical jump, grip strength, agility and 20-meter sprint tests. The data from these tests is directly entered into our Ministry’s information system. Results are analyzed in July and August, and students who perform well are placed into training programs during the next academic year,” Alper said.
Alper added that, following the initial assessments, successful students are subjected to further tests evaluating balance, reaction time and coordination.
He noted that students who pass these stages are then directed toward specific sports branches. This year, instead of bringing students from villages to the provincial center for testing, the coaches are visiting the students in their own schools to discover talent on-site.
Alper emphasized that the screenings in villages provide both a closer interaction with the children and valuable insights from their teachers.
As part of the program, 7,652 of the 11,128 third-grade students in Osmaniye have undergone screenings so far. Alper stated that they continue to visit each school individually in pursuit of talented young athletes.
He also noted that last year’s screenings helped channel 359 children into various sports branches, particularly football, volleyball and athletics.