ARICAN Ferhat

General
CONQUERING COVID-19
Three weeks after he tested positive for COVID-19, he won gold on parallel bars at the 2021 European Championships that took place in Basel, Switzerland. "Honestly, after I tested COVID-19 positive, I sank into despair a bit. As there is no room for mistakes in gymnastics, there is also no room for desperation in my mind. I had only a few days for training before the European championships, which was an excellent opportunity to challenge myself. I can sum up all of this process with a single word - dedication." (intlgymnast.com, 29 Apr 2021)

ANTI-PLASTIC CAMPAIGN
He says showing his metal water bottle to television cameras after he won gold on parallel bars at the 2021 European Championships in Basel, Switzerland was his way of supporting efforts to reduce global plastic use. "The point I want to draw attention to is plastic use of the whole world. According to recent research, it is estimated that 1.3 billion tons of plastic will be scattered around the world by 2040 if we do not stop using plastic. I think that we, as athletes, can make our voices heard by a broad audience by taking advantage of the universality of sports. Sport has a unique power. I always think about what I can do for the good of our world and our country and create a brighter future. It is my greatest motivation to do the best without saying what I can do alone. As I said, I believe that sports are an exceptional power that touches and unites people's lives. I continue to work to use this power in the best way possible." (intlgymnast.com, 29 Apr 2021)

YOUTH ACADEMY
In 2018 he and fellow Turkish gymnast Coskun Boncuk co-founded Kolektif Akademi, a gymnastics academy for children in Izmir, Turkey. He plans to dedicate his career to the academy once he has finished competing. "I want to train children to be even better gymnasts than we are. I have high hopes for this. And after retirement, I will manage the academy in Izmir. This is very important to me. We are doing this for the advancement and development of the sport." (gymnovosti.com, 29 Jun 2019; milliyet.com.tr, 02 Nov 2018, 24 Sep 2018)

He became the first male artistic gymnast representing Turkey to compete at the Olympic Games when he participated at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (dailysabah.com, 13 Oct 2019; SportsDeskOnline, 20 Sep 2017)