Uçan Raketler's New Stop Is Hatay

The Hatay leg of the Uçan Raketler project began with a launch event held at the Antakya Merkez Sports Hall on Thursday, 5 November. Attending the launch were Deputy Governor of Hatay Alparslan Sözen, Provincial Director of National Education Dr. Harun Tüysüz, Provincial Director of Youth and Sports Ali Osman Bebek, TMTF President Kerim Koç, and Hitit General Manager Nevra Onursal Karaağaç. More than 500 students and teachers from the participating schools also took part in the event.

Table tennis equipment will be provided to 63 state schools selected from the city center and districts of Hatay. The 65 teachers who volunteered for the project will receive a 1st Level Table Tennis Coach certificate after a course organized by TMTF. The teachers will then train students in the teams they set up at their schools. The project aims to benefit around 20,000 students across Hatay. It was also announced that table tennis equipment will be sent to children's homes and the elderly care home in Hatay as part of the project.

Deputy Governor Alparslan Sözen emphasized the importance of raising children who are well equipped not only academically but also in sports and socially. Hitit General Manager Nevra Onursal Karaağaç said the project was launched in 2018 with the aim of introducing children to sports at an early age and making regular exercise a widespread habit. Karaağaç noted that the journey, which began in Çorum and has continued through Isparta, Trabzon, Şanlıurfa, Sakarya, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya and Kırşehir, has now reached Hatay.

With Hatay included, the number of schools benefiting from the project has reached 474, the number of students has reached 180,000, and the number of teachers who have received coaching training has reached 495. The project had previously been implemented in Çorum, Isparta, Trabzon, Şanlıurfa, Sakarya, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya and Kırşehir.