Turkish
“We’re here on the fields, won’t be turning back!” Queer Olympix 2024 took place last weekend in Istanbul!
Queer Olympix, held for the 8th time this year in Istanbul, took place in Kadıköy from September 5 to 8, despite significant pressures and obstacles against the LGBTI+ community. Eleven teams participated in the event, marking the largest turnout since 2017. Among these were two mixed teams, formed by individual participants who applied to join the games. For the first time in Queer Olympix history, these teams had the opportunity to meet, train, and play together before the start of the event, culminating in a friendly match between the teams Kuirella and Karmam But!
In addition to the mixed teams, the event brought together Atletik Dildoa and Küründen United from Istanbul, Sportif Lezbon from Ankara, Muamma and Mersinkuir from Mersin, Minçoster TK from Izmir, UniKuir, consisting of university students from various cities, and Kuirgaming, a team also largely from Mersin that recently began its e-sports activities. Kuirgaming made valuable contributions to this year’s Queer Olympix through its workshops and games. There was also a brand new team called Şamar Oğlanları founded by trans laços*, also participated in the event.
Nearly a hundred participants gathered on Friday for introductory games and the first queer sports workshop, kicking off the 8th Queer Olympix. They symbolically lit the torch by placing their anonymous hopes and expectations for the event into an “expectation koli*.” On Saturday, the day began with self-defense, e-sports, and thematic queer sports workshops, followed by an extended football tournament. Together, we proudly demonstrated LGBTI+ presence and solidarity in public sports arenas once again. During the workshop called “chanting without swearing”, we sang songs together. Here’s one of our brand-new tribune chants:
“Gel queer olimpixe ortalık karışsın
Rekabet yok, maksat ayağın alışsın
Bi pas çek, sahada sönecek yangın
Erko futbol senle nasıl yarışsın?”
On Sunday, alongside discussing our experiences and dreams in queer sports workshops, parallel workshops and roundtable discussions have also taken place where we organized self-defense, dance contact workshops and a roundtable discussion for trans experiences in the sports fields. Afterwards, we returned to the fields, more crowded than ever despite the bans and intimidations we have been facing since the first year. While the Olympix athletes showcased their impressive skills in beach volleyball, cannonball, and dodgeball tournaments, the audience expressed their love for sports through their enthusiastic participation in side games like spikeball, golf, and frisbee, as well as the traditional tennis workshop. Together, we demonstrated our presence in every sport and on every field.
You can find the detailed booklet for Queer Olympix 2024, which includes the revised scoring criteria for queering sports, on its website. The 8th Queer Olympix concluded with an award ceremony hosted by Queen-B, where teams and special award winners received their rainbow body ribbons, followed by the closing party with dynamic DJ sets by Melis Öz, Florence K. Delight and Ayris Taban. We’re here on the fields, won’t be turning back; see you next year, lubunya!
