They overcame their obstacles by swimming

The Swimming Festival on the 3rd December International Day of Disabled Persons was held in cooperation with Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Youth Services, Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU) Health, Culture and Sports Department, IGU Corporate Communications Department and Association of Sport and Education Sciences for Disabled Persons.

Ahmet Serdar Demir, who is a university student and paraplegic for 8 years due to jumping shallow water, participated in the swimming festival, and said: “I will get what I lost in the water back in water by swimming” stating that he began to swim after 7 years of physical therapy.

Emphasizing that people should be more sensitive to people with disabilities, Ahmet Serdar Demir said: “Disabled people need to be understood every day not only on December 3, International Day of Disabled Persons so that we can continue our lives more easily. Because everyone is a disabled candidate… Our future is uncertain. For this, people need to show empathy and understanding.” Demir has been placed in many competitions in Turkey.

There was a colorful competition in the festival where IGU Director of Department of Health, Culture and Sports Lect. Tekmil Sezen Göksu, IGU Corporate Communication Manager Gizem Elli, Trainer at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Duran Aslan, Mehmet Özsarı, Kerem Arda and Çağla Yusufoğlu from Association of Sport and Education Sciences for Disabled Persons attended.

Stating that they organize the swimming festival in order to better understand the disabled people and to draw attention to their problems, Gizem Elli said: “82 disabled persons aged 5 to 55 overcame their obstacles by swimming today. Each one has a different disability and story, but they look to the future with hope.”

Stating that they want to draw attention to the importance of sports for disabled people, Lect. Tekmil Sezen Göksu mentioned that sport is an important rehabilitation method for disabled people and increases motivation.

At the end of the festival, all participants were awarded with medals.