Team 
Turkey - Profile
General Interest
Between Turkey's first Olympic appearance in 1908 and the most recent Games in 2016, athletes from the NOC won 63 of its 91 total Olympic medals in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Unsurprisingly, Turkey's first Olympic champion, Yasar Erkan, was a wrestler. He won his gold in the men's 63kg Greco-Roman event in Berlin in 1936. Erkan started a tradition in the sport which has led to Turkey being among the top wrestling nations at the Olympic Games.
Turkey enjoyed great success in wrestling at the 1948 Games in London, winning 11 medals across 11 weight divisions, including six gold. Two editions of the Games later, in 1956, two of Turkey's three most successful wrestlers won their first Olympic gold medals.
Mustafa Dagistanli and Mithat Bayrak both made their Olympic debuts at the Melbourne 1956 Games, taking gold in the freestyle 60kg and Greco-Roman 74kg divisions, respectively. Both returned for their second Games four years later and both won gold again, with Bayrak defending his 74kg Greco-Roman title and Dagistanli winning the 63kg freestyle event.
The Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Games saw Turkey's other wrestling double-gold medallist, Hamza Yerlikaya, win titles in the Greco-Roman 84kg event.
Weightlifting has proved to be a source of success at the Olympic Games for Turkey. Known as the 'Pocket Hercules', Bulgarian-born Naim Suleymanoglu set world records at two Olympic Games [1988, 1996] and won two consecutive gold medals in the 60kg division [1988, 1992], before adding a third Olympic title in the 64kg division in 1996.
Halil Mutlu competed alongside Suleymanoglu and matched his countryman in total Olympic titles. Mutlu won the 54kg title in 1996 before winning back-to-back gold medals in the 56kg division in 2000 and 2004.
The first woman to win an Olympic medal for Turkey was Hulya Senyurt, who claimed bronze in the 48kg judo event in 1992. Weightlifter Nurcan Taylan became the first woman to win an Olympic title for Turkey when she claimed gold in the 48kg division in Athens in 2004.
At the Games in Rio de Janeiro, Turkey won eight medals, including one gold. That victory went to freestyle wrestler Taha Akgul in the men's 125kg division in his second appearance at the Games.
Turkey enjoyed great success in wrestling at the 1948 Games in London, winning 11 medals across 11 weight divisions, including six gold. Two editions of the Games later, in 1956, two of Turkey's three most successful wrestlers won their first Olympic gold medals.
Mustafa Dagistanli and Mithat Bayrak both made their Olympic debuts at the Melbourne 1956 Games, taking gold in the freestyle 60kg and Greco-Roman 74kg divisions, respectively. Both returned for their second Games four years later and both won gold again, with Bayrak defending his 74kg Greco-Roman title and Dagistanli winning the 63kg freestyle event.
The Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Games saw Turkey's other wrestling double-gold medallist, Hamza Yerlikaya, win titles in the Greco-Roman 84kg event.
Weightlifting has proved to be a source of success at the Olympic Games for Turkey. Known as the 'Pocket Hercules', Bulgarian-born Naim Suleymanoglu set world records at two Olympic Games [1988, 1996] and won two consecutive gold medals in the 60kg division [1988, 1992], before adding a third Olympic title in the 64kg division in 1996.
Halil Mutlu competed alongside Suleymanoglu and matched his countryman in total Olympic titles. Mutlu won the 54kg title in 1996 before winning back-to-back gold medals in the 56kg division in 2000 and 2004.
The first woman to win an Olympic medal for Turkey was Hulya Senyurt, who claimed bronze in the 48kg judo event in 1992. Weightlifter Nurcan Taylan became the first woman to win an Olympic title for Turkey when she claimed gold in the 48kg division in Athens in 2004.
At the Games in Rio de Janeiro, Turkey won eight medals, including one gold. That victory went to freestyle wrestler Taha Akgul in the men's 125kg division in his second appearance at the Games.
Anthem
Istiklal Marsi [The March of Independence]
Words by Mehmet Akif Ersoy, music by Zeki Ungor.
1921
Flagbearers
Membership
Turkish Olympic Committee
1908
1911
Officials
Ugur Erdener
Nese Gundogan
Ugur Erdener [entry in the IOC: 2008]
Participation
1908
23 [Tokyo 2020 included]
Medals per sport
Medals per year
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Boxing | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Judo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Taekwondo | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Weightlifting | 8 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Wrestling - Freestyle | 18 | 12 | 9 | 39 |
| Wrestling - Greco-Roman | 11 | 6 | 7 | 24 |
| Total | 39 | 25 | 27 | 91 |
Medals per year
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2004 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 2000 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 1996 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 1992 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 1988 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1984 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 1972 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1964 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 1960 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| 1956 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 1952 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1948 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 |
| 1936 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 39 | 25 | 27 | 91 |
Legend
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- Gold Medal
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- Silver Medal
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- Bronze Medal
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- Gold Medal Event
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- Silver Medal Event
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- Bronze Medal Event
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Content 1 (removed through CDN)
Content 2 (removed through CDN).
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