Page 17 - Spor Tarihiyle Kocaali E-KİTAP

ABSTRACT

Since the early 14th century, Kocaali, which has become a Turkish homeland, has become a geography where
different cultures meet and live together with the migrations from the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Eastern
Black Sea after the 1877-1878 Ottoman Russian War known as the 93rd War and the World War I. During
the Republican period, Kocaali became a mosaic of cultures and the synthesis formed as a result of the fusion
of different cultures in this geography led to the formation of a unique Kocaali identity.

Traditional sports have been practised in Kocaali for centuries. Modern sports, on the other hand, have started
to spread throughout the country since 1950s in Kocaali as in Turkey in general. Educational institutions and
educators have a great role in introducing young people to modern sports.

Kocaali Sahilspor, the first sports club of Kocaali, was established by Kocaali youth in 1956. Young people
and teachers played a leading role in the establishment of the club. Kocaali youth have started to organise
tournaments by establishing amateur teams since the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kocaali became a sports
city.

The people of Kocaali organised football tournaments and volleyball competitions in Şimşirli, Ceharköy,
Alandere and other villages, and attracted the attention of Sakarya with wrestling and oil wrestling festivals
held in Bolazar and surrounding villages.

Thanks to this work, which focuses on sports, which is the common heritage of Kocaali, the athletes it has
trained, the sports people who add value to sports and the memories that cannot be erased from the memories,
the youth of Kocaali will discover hard work, perseverance, morality and role models in their immediate
surroundings and will walk more solidly to the future.

14 GE Ç M İ Ş T EN G ÜNÜ M ÜZE spor tarihiY L E K O CAAL İ 15