The Europe Sports and Culture Festival (ASKFEST) was organized in Hamm, Germany where Turkish population is dense.

Europe Sports and Culture Festival (ASKFEST) was held at LippenPark in Hamm city of Germany in cooperation between the Ministries of Youth and Sports and Tourism and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and the Municipality of Hamm. The three-day festival (June 28-30) offers many fun activities to Turkish and German citizens in the fields of sports, recreation and art.

The festival opening was attended by Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu the Minister of Youth and Sports, Serdar Çam the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Abdullah Eren the President of YTB, Serkan Kayalar the President of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Thomas Hunsteger Petermann the Mayor of Hamm, Şener Cebeci the Consul General of Turkey in Essen, Şule Gürel the Consul General in Düsseldorf, and Ceyhun Erciyes  the Consul General in Köln, and authorities of both countries, along with many citizens.

In his opening speech the Minister of Youth and Sports said that sports is one of the best tools to establish solidarity, peace, love, respect and empathy.

Kasapoğlu, wishing the Festival to bring blessings to Turkish-German society, said “We do not discriminate between the youth in Turkey and our youth living abroad. They have the same place in our hearts. In the coming process, we shall increase our activities, operations and works towards youth abroad as we do in Turkey.”

Expressing their wish to increase similar activities not just in Turkey, but also everywhere where there is an intense population from Turkey, Kasapoğlu declared that, “There are no doors that sports cannot open. Therefore, we will widespread the sports. We shall turn sports into a culture in our country. We shall open the way for all individuals whether they be man or woman, young or old to deal with at least one branch of sports. Under the strong leadership of our President of the Republic of Turkey, we have built our facilities in the last 17 years. Now, it is time to fill our facilities, camps and youth camps both in the country and abroad with our people and to perform strong and intense activities.”

In his opening speech the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Serdar Çam stated, “Culture, arts, sports and festivals are important activities that bring all communities together. The relationships established by those who are present in the fields of art, sports and culture always bring countries close together. Therefore, I believe ASKFEST 2019 is important in this regard.”

RICH FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES ORGANIZED

The festival with the slogan “Play Sports together! Have Fun Together! Live Together!” holds football, basketball and athletics competitions along with sports such as ping pong, bowling, skating and cycling, traditional sports like archery, oil wrestling, knucklebones and also children games and mind games. Along with these, the festival hosts gastronomy activities in which the unique examples from Turkish and German cuisines can be sampled, exhibits products from Turkish and German cultures as well as organizes concerts and other activities.

The festival to which many guests, prominently from the Northern Ren Westphalia state of Germany, and from surrounding countries and cities can freely attend will continue until June 30 evening.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYERS ON THE FIELD FOR FRIENDSHIP

On the first day of the three-day festival, world famous Turkish and German footballers gathered on the field for friendship. In the friendship match of Turkish and German National Team players, the symbolic kick-off was done together by the Minister of Youth and Sports Muharrem Kasapoğlu, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Serdar Çam and the President of YTB Abdullah Eren.

Lippenpark, the grounds on which the ASKFEST 2019 is held, is a former mine close to the River Lippe. Turkish workers who have migrated to Germany within the framework of agreements concluded with this country since 1950s worked in these mines and contributed to the development of the city and Germany.