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February 17, 2023
The world of sport has always stepped up to support communities during crises around the world. Following the devastating earthquake and aftershocks that hit Türkiye and Syria on February 6, and have since killed 41,000 people and affected 17 million, clubs, athletes, leagues, sporting bodies and more have taken action to support humanitarian efforts.
In Turkey, the Turkish Football Federation pledged to send one thousand temporary housing units to the disaster-hit regions. The country’s biggest football clubs, Fenerbahce, Beşiktas and Galatasaray united to send aid trucks from their stadiums to the disaster zone in the country’s southern and southern-eastern provinces and launched donation campaigns. Beşiktas football club has called for donations to be made to the Türkiye embassy in New York and Boston that has so far shipped 50 tons of items to Türkiye including space heaters, generators, winter tents and blankets.
Public broadcaster TRT World provided coverage of the clubs’ fans banding together to provide support, vital aid and resources such as clothes, blankets, food water and toys to those directly affected and in need of help. Alongside fans were footballers like Fenerbahce’s Enner Valencia and Mert Hakan Yandas who helped with the relief efforts. Beşiktas football club has called for donations to be made to the Türkiye embassy in New York and Boston that has so far shipped 50 tons of items to Türkiye including space heaters, generators, winter tents and blankets. Galatasaray has also launched an official donation campaign and a number of its players are reported to have pledged their salaries to victims.
Community organizations in the region are playing a role as well. Past Beyond Sport Global Award entrants, Firefly for Syria, are working to support young people in Northern Syria and via their children’s center in Antakya, which is on the edge of the affected zone. The Sport Together Fund delivered by Beyond Sport – created to provide support to non-profit organizations, sports clubs and collectives who assist communities in crisis – is currently in touch with partners working in the region to assess where we can provide immediate and long-term support.
Turkish football player Merih Demiral, who plays for the Italian club Atalanta and the Turkish national team, is mobilizing fundraising efforts by asking his fellow athletes to donate signed shirts and gloves that can be auctioned off. Demiral has raised more than £400,000 (nine million Turkish Iiras) through engaging superstars such as Gianluigi Buffon, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., Kylian Mbappe and others. The proceeds were donated to the Turkish charity, Ahbap, which will be used to support the victims of the disaster. Messi also donated over £3 million pounds to relief efforts through his foundation.
Support from governing bodies, federations, leagues and teams has been equally as swift as the solidarity shown by Turkish clubs, athletes and fans. The Premier League made a £1 million donation to the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal to deliver humanitarian aid directly to those in need, which has surpassed £65 million in just four days of being active. Additional donations were made by Manchester United to UNICEF’s appeal and Arsenal to its global charity partner Save the Children to further support children, families and local communities.
Tennis governing bodies, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the four Grand Slams – Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open have launched a fundraising drive to support victims and relief efforts. The ‘Tennis Plays for Love’ fundraiser aims to reach its first £4 million, which will benefit Global Giving’s Türkiye and Syria Earthquake Relief Fund, helping provide emergency relief and fuel long-term recovery efforts. In addition, a reported one-of-a-kind NFT from the ‘LOVE’ tennis art project is being auctioned in support of the campaign.
Six Nations Rugby, alongside its unions, federations and the global rugby community is also uniting to aid those affected by the earthquake by supporting the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization’s (WHO) international relief efforts. WHO is assisting the affected areas by deploying emergency medical teams to treat injured people, supporting health workers and maintaining essential health services throughout rescue operations and beyond.
The NFL urged Super Bowl fans to donate to the American Red Cross and MLB is directing efforts there as well. The NBA and NBPA are asking fans to support UNICEF, World Central Kitchen, Choose Love and Direct Relief. MLS is directing aid to the American Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross, CARE, Direct Relief and UNICEF.
The UN reports that up to 5.3 million people could be made homeless across both countries with more than 870,000 people in urgent need of hot meals following the 7.8 and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes in southern Türkiye and northern Syria.
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