Kurtuluş S.K.
Kurtuluş S.K. is a sports club of Kurtuluş, Şişli district, Istanbul, Turkey.[3][4] It is the still existing oldest sports club in Turkey.
 | ||
| Full name | Kurtuluş Spor Kulübü | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1 January 1896 as İraklis Jimnastik Kulübü[1] | |
| Chairman | Konstantin Belalidis[2] | |
| Website | Club website | |
|
| ||
History
Kurtuluş S.K. was founded ατ 1896 under the name Hercules (Greek: Ηρακλής, Turkish: İraklis Jimnastik Kulübü)[1] by local Greeks in 1896.[5] It was the first club in Istanbul exclusively dedicated to sports activities.[5] Later in 1934 it was forced to change its name to Turkish, Kurtuluş.[5]
It was one of the major Greek sports clubs in Istanbul, while from 1910 to 1922 it was one of the clubs that undertook the organization of the Pan-Constantinopolitan games (Games organized among the Greek clubs of the city).[6]
In 1906 two athletes of the club, the brothers Georgios and Nikolaos Alimbrandis won gold medals in the Intercalated Olympic Games in Athens, in horizontal bar and rope climbing respectively.[6]
During the 1930s, the club intensified the efforts in the field of sports with the foundation of basketball, volleyball, cycling, athletics and other sports departments. Competent athletes from these departments were distinguished in local and international sports events.[6] The club played in the Turkish Basketball League between 1966 and 1968.
Notable athletes
- Minas Gekos, basketball player
See also
- Beyoğluspor, another still existing sports club in Istanbul founded by local Greeks.
- List of Turkish sports clubs by foundation dates
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2011-10-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Kurtuluş Spor Kulübü". Aya Tanas Aya Dimitri Aya Lefter Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi ve Mektebi Vakfi. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- Kurtuluş SPOR KULÜBÜ (in Turkish) Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
- Kurtuluş Spor Kulübü Official Website (in Turkish)
- Albanidis E., Vouzanidou E. (2007). "Physical Education and Sports of Constantinople Greeks and their Sports Activities following resettlement in towns of mainland Greece (Thessaloniki, Kavala)" (PDF). Studies in Physical Culture and Tourism. 14: 37–45. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- Choumerianos, Manolis. "Sports and sports clubs of the Greek Orthodox in Constantinople". Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού, Κωνσταντινούπολη. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- Tatavla Heraklis Jimnastik Kulübü. Türk Futbol Tarihi.vol 1. page(23). (June 1992) Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu Yayınları.