Turkish TIKA invests in sport research to help Romanian athletes gain performance

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) launched on Tuesday its first project in Bucharest, inaugurating the new lab of the National Institute for Sport Research in the presence of the Minister for Youth and Sports, Gabriela Szabo, and important representatives of the Turkish Embassy to Romania.

This lab has been renovated and fitted with COSMED equipment, used in measuring the performance of sportsmen and athletes.

At the same time, the lab was equipped with OptoJump, Dynamic Concept 2 appliances and next-gen treadmills. The evaluation process conducted by specialists of the Institute will be supported also by IT devices: LG displays, laptops and cameras that TIKA had brought in the new laboratory.

The investment was not disclosed.

“TIKA wanted to invest in a project of which Romanian performance athletes to benefit, we chose to renovate and furnish the Laboratory of the National Institute for Sport Research. This is one of a whole series of projects that TIKA aims to achieve in Romania,” Dr. Mahmut Çevik, Head of the Balkans and Eastern Europe Department within TIKA, said during the press conference.

TIKA’s representatives opened several educational projects, in Constanta on Monday, including providing IT equipment to a school where both Romanian and Turkish children learn.

“Sport research is an unexploited area at its true value. Sport is a science with other sciences included and can no longer perform empirically. I insist that this research institute to be more present on the ground in order to help athletes make performances. I can say that this is a promising start,” former Romanian athlete champion Gabriela Szabo stated.

TIKA, working under the Prime Ministry of the Republic of Turkey, has Coordination Offices in 50 countries, and as of February 2015, Romania was added to the Agency’s list of offices. Overall, in 24 years of activity, TIKA has achieved over 13,700 projects.