MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan place significant emphasis on the development of sports, World Ethnosport Confederation president and son of Turkey’s leader Necmeddin Bilal Erdogan told TASS in an interview.
"First of all, both presidents have a sporting background. They are both athletes, and that is why they are leaders of the international sports movement. They enthusiastically support sports in their countries, promote its institutionalization, and invest in sports infrastructure," he said, adding that both Erdogan and Putin especially encourage efforts to attract the youth to sports at amateur and professional levels.
The World Ethnosport Confederation president said it is "a huge blessing for both Turkey and Russia that their leaders are people with an athletic background." "This gives us an advantage," Erdogan's son explained. "Both presidents especially support traditional sports since both countries attach great importance to preserving their heritage, identity, and culture, I believe. Hence, it seems symbolic to us to be in St. Petersburg for the 7th Ethnosport Forum."
Putin is a master of sports in Judo and Sambo; he enjoys alpine skiing. In his later years, the Russian leader also became interested in hockey. In 2011, Putin initiated the creation of the Night Hockey League in Russia and has personally participated in several of its gala matches. The league focuses on popularizing ice hockey in the country and organizing national competitions of amateur teams in Russia.
Erdogan, for his part, has a rich football past. The Turkish leader shared in an interview that he got into the sport at the age of 15 when he kicked an improvised ball made of paper and cardboard in the yard with other kids. Later, the future Turkish president scored goals at the Erokspor club as a striker. Erdogan achieved great results in the football clubs of Camialti and IETT. The Turkish president was only once sent off during his 14 years of playing football.