The Palestine and Türkiye Baseball5 national teams are continuing their preparations in Adana ahead of international and continental tournaments. The teams are also holding joint training sessions for the Youth Olympic Games planned for late October in Senegal.
Players and officials at the camp at the Adana Olympic Preparation Center came together for a joint press conference on Sunday.
Message of solidarity in Adana
Adana Youth and Sports Director Mustafa Loğoğlu said the camp strengthened not only the athletes’ preparations but also the bonds of brotherhood between the two peoples and their belief in a shared future. He said sharing the same field with Palestinian athletes highlighted sport’s role in friendship, peace and solidarity.
Loğoğlu said they were providing the athletes and the federation with support through all available resources and facilities. He said he believed the strong foundations established in Adana would contribute to achievements on international platforms and to the flags being raised there in the future.
Nahid Şahin, president of the Turkish Rugby Federation, said sport brings societies together regardless of religion, language or race. Şahin said the foundations of Baseball5 had been laid in Palestine and expressed hope that a team capable of competing in the European continent would be established in the coming years, with joint matches held at the Olympics or world championships.
Mahmud Tafesh, vice president of the Palestinian Baseball and Softball Federation, said he was pleased to have been invited to the camp in Türkiye and with the attention shown to the Palestinian delegation. Tafesh thanked those who provided professional facilities for the Palestinian national team and worked to organize the joint training sessions.
Baseball5’s standout feature
Baseball5, a simpler and enhanced version of traditional baseball and softball, was officially introduced in 2017. The sport uses neither bats nor gloves; games are played with bare hands and a single rubber ball.
This format allows Baseball5 to be played in a range of settings, including streets, schools and indoor sports halls.
At the end of the meeting, Mahmud Tafesh presented Mustafa Loğoğlu with a wooden plaque bearing the flags of Türkiye and Palestine and the words "Jerusalem belongs to us."
