14.10.2026 09:50
In the Yüksekova district of Hakkari, cross-country skiing athletes who have won the Turkish championship four years in a row are training with roller skis on a highway where traffic flows because there is no training track. Facing the risk of being hit by a vehicle and tire bursts, the athletes want a safe track to be built in the district before something bad happens to one of them.
In the Yüksekova district of Hakkari, roller skiing athletes are preparing for winter competitions on the highway because there is no training track. The athletes, who have to train on asphalt roads where traffic flows, draw attention to the risks threatening their safety and want a suitable training track built in the district. Cross-Country Skiing Coach Şefik Yaşar said that the athletes have been training on highways and village roads for years and have become Turkish champions for 4 consecutive years.
In Yüksekova, nearly 50 cross-country skiing athletes in different age categories train on asphalt surfaces with roller skis in the summer and autumn months in order to achieve successful results in competitions held in the winter season. However, the athletes who are forced to do their training on the highway where traffic flows sometimes face risks such as vehicle collisions and tire punctures.
RISK OF VEHICLE COLLISION AND TIRE PUNCTURE
Zeynep Çelik, an 11th-grade student at Atatürk Anatolian High School who has been competing in cross-country skiing for 5 years, stated that they have to do their training on the highway and said they want a safe track. Çelik, expressing that training on the road carries serious risks, said, "Since we do not have a track, we train on international roads. This situation is really very difficult and dangerous. There are many risks such as vehicle collisions and tire punctures. We think, will a track not be built before something bad happens to someone? We are trying to do sports amid all these risks."
THEY TRAIN ATHLETES FOR NATIONAL TEAMS
Zeynep Çelik, stating that they have achieved important successes despite limited opportunities, said that they have athletes competing in European and world championships and selected for national teams. Çelik said, "Despite these roads and impossibilities, we are very successful. We have athletes competing in European and world championships and selected for national teams. I am proud of our athletes at the Erzurum Turkey Olympic Preparation Center (TOHM), our teammates, and our coaches. Although our opportunities are limited, we try to do the best we can."
CHAMPIONSHIP COMING FROM VILLAGE ROADS
Cross-country skiing coach Şefik Yaşar, on the other hand, stated that the athletes have been training on asphalt and village roads for years. Yaşar, noting that they have trained about 50 national athletes, said that despite their achievements, there are no suitable training areas.
Yaşar said, "We have been Turkish champions for 4 consecutive years. We achieve these successes in the trainings we do on village roads and highways. We are currently continuing our work for the winter season. In summer we train with roller skis, and in winter with skis on snow. About 11 of our athletes are at the Erzurum Turkey Olympic Preparation Center (TOHM). We also have nearly 50 athletes in Yüksekova."