Islamic Solidarity Games gear up for official opening in Turkey
The central Turkish province of Konya is set to host the fifth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games. On Tuesday, the official opening ceremony will be held while qualification rounds have already begun for the international event.
More than 4,000 athletes from 56 countries will participate in the tournament, which will end on Aug. 18. Athletes and teams will compete in 24 fields. Turkey joins the games with 461 athletes in all fields.
The games were postponed one year due to restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, some 355 medals are up for grabs for athletes.
The Islamic Solidarity Games were first hosted by Jeddah of Saudi Arabia in 2005. The idea is the development of athletes and to boost solidarity and ties through sports between the countries of the Muslim world. Non-Muslim citizens of those countries can also participate in the games. The last edition of the games was held in Azerbaijan’s Baku in 2017.
In the previous games, Turkey accumulated 305 medals in total, including 95 gold, 101 silver and 109 bronze medals.
In Konya, athletes will compete in shooting events, athletics, three-on-three basketball, cycling, bocce, gymnastics, fencing, soccer, wrestling, weightlifting, handball, judo, karate, kickboxing, table tennis, archery, taekwondo, volleyball, swimming, traditional archery, para-athletics, para-table tennis, para-archery and para-swimming.
Participants will compete in the games in 12 different venues across Konya, including stadiums and sports halls.
