Dear Deaf Sports Lovers,
As a member of the hearing impaired culture and as a manager of hearing impaired sports in Turkiye, I greet you with my best wishes. Deaflympics is a magnificent sports organization that allows people from hearing impaired culture to come together every 4 years. Participants in the Deaflympics games from all over the world form lasting friendships by competing in accordance with the principles of fair play.
We, as Turkiye, successfully hosted the 2017 Summer Deaflympic Games. This event left beautiful memories and impressions on everyone, becoming a part of history. Now, we are the hosts of the 20th Winter Games. We hope to organize the event successfully and strive to have you compete in the finest facilities.
Erzurum, located in Eastern Anatolia where the games will take place, is a beautiful sports city where many international sports organizations such as the 2011 World University Winter Games and the EYOF Winter Games have been successfully held. Our goal for the XX. Winter Deaflympics will be to promote climate crisis awareness, peace, and friendship.
I want you to know that we will do our best to ensure that the experiences you have during this event will leave beautiful memories in your hearts for years to come.
It is a great honor for me to host such a great organization on the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkiye
Seeing all of you in Anatolia will bring us great joy
Yakup Ümit Kihtir
Co-President of Turkiye Deaf Sports Federation
President of TOC