Big Showdown at EXTRIAL
The "For the Benefit of the Disabled" Outdoor Sports Festival was held on 13-14 June 2015, organised by the Şile Outdoor Sports Club Association (DOSD) in cooperation with Şile Municipality. Starting on Saturday morning, the festival holds the distinction of being the first festival in Turkey held for the benefit of disabled people.
Held on a 100-decare site in the village of Ahmetli, the festival hosted the students, members and teachers of İSEM (Istanbul Disabled Persons Centre) on Saturday. The students and members, who arrived at the site on buses belonging to the centre, were welcomed in areas prepared especially for them.
In the tents and stands set up on the site, colourful paintings made in the painting workshops attended by disabled children, accompanied by a guide group made up of students from the Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts, adorned the easels. The sculptures and ceramics shaped by the students' hands showed just how creative they are. In the kitchen workshop, delicious biscuits were decorated with colourful sugar paste. Besides the enjoyable and entertaining workshop activities, sporting competitions were also held.
Archery, boccia, athletics and cycling races were held during the day, with tough battles between the participants alongside the disabled competitors.
In archery, the demonstrations by the disabled athletes earned full marks from the participants.
The İSEM students, dancing to cheerful music, lit up the site with their lovely dances. After hosting disabled guests on Saturday, the festival area, enlivened by Romani music, became the venue for the Extrial race on Sunday.
BIG SHOWDOWN AT EXTRIAL
On a course laid out without any interference to Şile's natural landscape, the competitors fought fiercely. As the name suggests, the teams competing on extra-demanding courses gave spectators breathtaking moments.
In the overall classification, the pairing of Adnan Ofluoğlu – İbrahim Şimşek, competing as AVC TEAM, took the win, the DOSD team's Erkan Kaynak – Avni İnce finished second, and Seda Özkutlu – Soner Özkutlu of the AYDOFF team took third.
DOSD (Şile Outdoor Sports Club Association) president Mustafa Kemik said: "The main aim of the organisation was to take part in some activities that seem difficult to reach alongside our disabled friends and brothers and sisters, and to be together and have fun together as part of life. I think we achieved that aim with our friends who took part and supported us. We are happy to have brought our disabled friends and brothers and sisters out of their homes, even if only for a weekend, and hosted them in the heart of nature."
