From Bornova’s NGO Campus to the World Stage
ELADA to represent Turkey at the Salsa Championship
Ege Latin Dance Sports Club (ELADA), one of the many civil society organizations benefiting from the Bornova Municipality Altındağ Atatürk NGO Campus, is preparing to represent Turkey at the World Salsa Championship to be held in Istanbul on December 6–7. While athletes continue their training in the campus sports hall, club coaches emphasized that Bornova Municipality’s support has enabled them to set their sights on international success. Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki underlined that the NGO Campus is an important hub for a productive and developing Bornova.
Ege Latin Dance Sports Club (ELADA), one of the hundreds of NGOs benefiting from the Bornova Municipality Altındağ Atatürk NGO Campus, will represent Turkey at the World Salsa Championship to be held in Istanbul on December 6–7. Ahead of the major event, the club is maintaining an intensive training schedule in the sports hall within the campus.
“Being on international platforms is no longer a dream”
ELADA Coach Görkem Çitim described the club’s growth and the significance of the opportunities provided by Bornova Municipality:
“We are one of the clubs with the highest number of licensed athletes in the adult categories of the Turkish Dance Sports Federation competitions. We have athletes in all classes from A to D. We train three days a week and are raising new athletes through a strong youth system. We prepare them both physically and psychologically. Thanks to Bornova Municipality and Mayor Ömer Eşki’s support, we now cultivate athletes who compete internationally. Representing our country in the World Salsa Championship, which will be held in Turkey for the first time, is just the beginning. In January we will be in Milan, in June in Bologna, and we will continue to participate in many international competitions throughout the year. We thank Bornova Municipality for their support.”
Athletes: “We will represent Turkey in the best way possible”
ELADA’s licensed athletes and trainers Ahmet Batuhan Doğu, İrem Özyener, and Başak Toprak emphasized that they aim to represent Turkey in the best possible way at their first world championship appearance, expressing their gratitude to Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki for his support.
Mayor Eşki: “The NGO Campus is a center of social solidarity”
Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki highlighted the importance of the NGO Campus, saying:
“Our Altındağ Atatürk NGO Campus opens its doors to hundreds of organizations—from sports clubs to cultural associations, from community foundations to arts groups. Our goal is to build a productive, sharing, and developing social structure in Bornova. ELADA’s emergence onto the world stage is one of the strongest examples of what can be achieved when the opportunities of this campus are used effectively. I wish our athletes great success; as Bornova, we will continue to support them.”