ANTALYA

World Ethnosport Union President Necmeddin Bilal Erdogan on Saturday expressed hope that "sports would once again serve as a tool and platform for peace, dialogue, and cooperation," during the 8th Ethnosport Forum, alongside the sports ministers of Iran and Yemen.

Under the 8th Ethnosport Forum, a High-Level Ministerial Panel was held in Antalya, a city on the Mediterranean coast in southern Türkiye, with Anadolu as the global communication partner of the forum.

Moderating the forum, Erdogan drew attention to the increasing global interest in traditional sports, noting that they would soon announce the venue of the forum's next edition in 2027.

Noting that ministers from countries affected by wars were also among the participants, he said: "Seeing ministers from Yemen and Iran at the event shows that we can still provide a platform for dialogue, that we can establish this interaction among sports ministers," he said.

"Over the years, I have emphasized how important sports can be as a tool for peace, diplomacy, cooperation, and mutual understanding. I know the difficulties the ministers from Iran and Yemen faced in coming here.

"I hope that sports will once again serve as a tool and platform for peace, dialogue, and cooperation. I hope that we can hold future forums in a more peaceful world," he added.

Forum 'conveys message of peace to all world leaders'

Yemen's Minister of Youth and Sports Nayef Saleh al-Bakri stated that traditional sports have been a part of civilizations.

The world has been going through a historic period, and wars have been ongoing in many regions, he noted, saying: "We are seeking peace. Bringing together many countries here in the 2027 activities and events can become a very important turning point for us to achieve this peace. This forum actually ... conveys a message of peace to all world leaders and countries. We need peace and stability. We need to form a unity so that our youth, who are our future, can live in peace."

"I come from a country that is at war today. We traveled through many countries to come to Türkiye. We want to carry the message of peace from Yemen everywhere. We want peace to shake our region, our world. We want world peace to be achieved. We want world unity to be formed.

"Ethnosport can have an important impact on achieving this goal. Our people, our peoples, our children, our youth, our students need peace and unity. From Antalya, we are sending the message that the war should end, stability should be achieved, and peace should shake the whole world," he added.

Russia forming national teams for Ethnosport 2027

Russian Federation Minister of Sport Michael Degtyarev also stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been giving "great importance" to traditional sports.

Degtyarev said: "We have identified nine national sports at the state level. We have created federations for these. We include these sports in the competition calendars. We are also forming our national teams for Ethnosport 2027."

Kazakhstan's Minister of Tourism and Sport Yerbol Myrzabossynov mentioned that they have always actively supported the Ethnosport Forum.

'We want to preserve our cultural values'

Kyrgyzstan's Director of Culture and Sport Urmat Asanbaev expressed the importance of hosting the Nomad Games in late August in his country.

Stressing that traditional sports reflect the values ​​of countries, Asanbaev said: "Thanks to these games, our people get to know each other better. Promoting the traditional sports of countries helps us to understand each other better," he said.

"We are mobilizing public institutions to promote these sports. We want to preserve our cultural values. 12 sports have been identified in our country," he added.

The event -- set to run until Sunday afternoon -- has brought together more than 100 high-level state officials, including over 15 ministers of sports and culture, alongside international delegations, representatives from World Ethnosport Union member federations, academics, and traditional sports athletes from 29 countries.

Serving as the global communication partner, Anadolu has supported the forum, which will focus on strategic issues related to the sustainability in ethnosports.

The forum focuses on sustainability in ethnosports and strengthening international cooperation, emphasizing values such as tradition, solidarity, respect, and peace.

Since its inception, the union has worked to preserve traditional sports and games, promote intercultural interaction, and raise awareness in the field. The forum will examine short, medium, and long-term strategies to support these goals.

Academics, federation representatives, and researchers participated in panel discussions about international cooperation, financial sustainability, and media strategies. The agenda also includes proposals to make traditional sports and game awards more accessible to a broader audience.

A key topic is the planned Ethnosports 2027 event, with experts set to assess its vision, organizational structure, international participation strategies, sponsorship models, and media planning.

The forum drew representatives from 50 institutional members across 29 countries affiliated with the World Ethnosport Union, along with government officials, federation representatives, academics, and researchers.

Organizers say the forum’s sessions and discussions will help shape the future of traditional sports and serve as a starting point for preparations for Ethnosports 2027.

The focal point of the forum is Ethnosports 2027, a massive global sporting event designed to bring traditional athletes from across the world together on a single competitive platform. This visionary project seeks to institutionalize traditional sports and games according to international standards, establishing them as a global brand. Throughout the forum, all operational processes from the preparation phase to implementation strategies will be discussed in detail.