Meet the Turkish Superhumans

Beytullah Eroğlu at the 2012 London Paralympics. Together with Özlem Baykız, Beytullah was the first Turkish swimmer to reach a Paralympic final. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Beytullah Eroğlu just before the 50m butterfly S5 final at the 2011 European Championships for the Disabled, where he won the first gold medal in the history of Turkish sport for people with disabilities. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

The Turkish team showed improvements but could not win any medal at the 2013 Wheelchair Tennis World Team Cup in Antalya. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

For the past few years, the strongest contenders in the Turkish wheelchair basketball league have been Galatasaray and Beşiktaş. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

The 2014 Turkish Short Course Blind Swimming Championships took place in October in Gaziantep. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

Amputee football is a relatively new branch in sport for people with disabilities in Turkey. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

At the 2012 London Paralympics, Nazmiye Muslu won the gold medal and set the new world record in the women powerlifting 40kg category with a 109kg lift. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

Turkey had only one athlete in Sydney, eight in Athens, 16 in Beijing and 69 in London, where they competed in swimming, judo powerlifting, table tennis, athletics, shooting, archery and wheelchair basketball – more disciplines than ever before. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

Neslihan Kavas won two silver medals in table tennis, one in the women’s singles class 9 final and one in the women’s team final, together with Ümran Ertiş and Kübra Öçsoy. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

Özlem Baykız is the first female Turkish swimmer to qualify for the Paralympics. In London, she reached the final in the 50m freestyle S6, in the 50m butterfly S6 and in the 100m breaststroke SB6. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

In London 2012, Cahit Kılıçaslan reached the final in the men’s 1500m T46 category: ‘Running in front of such a crowd was incredible: I wish we had some spectators at our disabled sport events in Turkey.’ Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

Having limited opportunities to play within Turkey, wheelchair tennis players struggle in the international arena. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

Turkey doesn’t have a women’s wheelchair basketball league, and for this reason, the best players join the men’s league. Aliye Kocasoy is Turkey’s women wheelchair basketball team captain and plays for the northern Cyprus team. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

The Turkish men’s wheelchair basketball team joined the Paralympics for the first time in London, finishing the tournament in seventh place. All the selected players were from Galatasaray or Beşiktaş. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

The Beşiktaş-Galatasaray derby is the most important for players of both teams. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

The excitement of a first-time participant at the 2014 Turkish Short Course Blind Swimming Championships in Gaziantep. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

In London 2012, the Turkish men’s wheelchair basketball team lost in the quarter-final to Great Britain to finish the tournament in seventh place. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

At the 2012 London Paralympics, Mehmet Nesin Öner ran the men’s 400m and 800m T12 qualifying rounds. In every discipline, athletes are classified according to their disability and level of impairment. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

Meet the Turkish Superhumans

Beytullah Eroğlu at the 2012 London Paralympics. Together with Özlem Baykız, Beytullah was the first Turkish swimmer to reach a Paralympic final. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Beytullah Eroğlu just before the 50m butterfly S5 final at the 2011 European Championships for the Disabled, where he won the first gold medal in the history of Turkish sport for people with disabilities. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

The Turkish team showed improvements but could not win any medal at the 2013 Wheelchair Tennis World Team Cup in Antalya. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

For the past few years, the strongest contenders in the Turkish wheelchair basketball league have been Galatasaray and Beşiktaş. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

The 2014 Turkish Short Course Blind Swimming Championships took place in October in Gaziantep. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Amputee football is a relatively new branch in sport for people with disabilities in Turkey. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

At the 2012 London Paralympics, Nazmiye Muslu won the gold medal and set the new world record in the women powerlifting 40kg category with a 109kg lift. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Turkey had only one athlete in Sydney, eight in Athens, 16 in Beijing and 69 in London, where they competed in swimming, judo powerlifting, table tennis, athletics, shooting, archery and wheelchair basketball – more disciplines than ever before. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Neslihan Kavas won two silver medals in table tennis, one in the women’s singles class 9 final and one in the women’s team final, together with Ümran Ertiş and Kübra Öçsoy. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Özlem Baykız is the first female Turkish swimmer to qualify for the Paralympics. In London, she reached the final in the 50m freestyle S6, in the 50m butterfly S6 and in the 100m breaststroke SB6. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

In London 2012, Cahit Kılıçaslan reached the final in the men’s 1500m T46 category: ‘Running in front of such a crowd was incredible: I wish we had some spectators at our disabled sport events in Turkey.’ Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Having limited opportunities to play within Turkey, wheelchair tennis players struggle in the international arena. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

Turkey doesn’t have a women’s wheelchair basketball league, and for this reason, the best players join the men’s league. Aliye Kocasoy is Turkey’s women wheelchair basketball team captain and plays for the northern Cyprus team. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

The Turkish men’s wheelchair basketball team joined the Paralympics for the first time in London, finishing the tournament in seventh place. All the selected players were from Galatasaray or Beşiktaş. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

The Beşiktaş-Galatasaray derby is the most important for players of both teams. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

The excitement of a first-time participant at the 2014 Turkish Short Course Blind Swimming Championships in Gaziantep. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

In London 2012, the Turkish men’s wheelchair basketball team lost in the quarter-final to Great Britain to finish the tournament in seventh place. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

At the 2012 London Paralympics, Mehmet Nesin Öner ran the men’s 400m and 800m T12 qualifying rounds. In every discipline, athletes are classified according to their disability and level of impairment. Photo by Delizia Flaccavento

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