As part of the events for the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on 19 May, a conference titled “The First Step of the National Struggle: 19 May 1919”, covering the historical background of the National Struggle period and the important events of that time, was held at Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU). At the end of the conference, awards were presented in a ceremony to the teams that placed in the 2024 Sports Tournaments organised by the HKU Sports Club.
The programme began at the HKU Cine Amphi with a moment of silence for our martyrs, the singing of the Turkish National Anthem and the screening of the documentary “19 Mayıs” prepared by TRT. It was attended by HKU Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Lütfi Yola, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Kezban Bayramlar, Dean of Students Asst. Prof. Dr. Özgür Osman Demir, HKU Secretary General Ümit Şahnaoğlu, academic staff and students.
Giving the opening speech of the programme, HKU Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Lütfi Yola said: “19 May 1919 is the date on which the first seeds of our National Struggle were sown by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Founder of our Republic, and on which our nation took its first step on the path to independence and freedom. Today, we are proud to be with our young people on this meaningful day. I believe that the productive young people of HKU will lead in sports, science, art, literature and every other field, and will carry their visions further. On this special day when we are together, I warmly congratulate you on 19 May, the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.”
In the conference “The First Step of the National Struggle: 19 May 1919”, with Asst. Prof. Dr. Murat Erkoç, faculty member in the Department of Primary School Teaching at the HKU Faculty of Education, as speaker, the importance of 19 May 1919 in the founding of the Republic of Türkiye and the details of the National Struggle that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk launched by landing in Samsun were shared.
Following the conference, speaking at the 2024 Sports Tournaments Award Ceremony organised by the HKU Sports Club, of which she is the advisor, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Kezban Bayramlar said: “It was a multifaceted activity. We thank everyone who supported it, especially our Rectorate and our Board of Trustees. I congratulate all our students who took part in the tournament.”
At the award ceremony, medals and cups found their owners!
In the football tournament, the Faculty of Health Sciences Football Team took first place, the ‘Fizyo United’ team from the Faculty of Health Sciences took second, and the ‘SHK Air’ team from the Vocational School took third. In the basketball tournament, the ‘İHA Basketbol’ team from the Vocational School came first, the Faculty of Engineering basketball team second and the Faculty of Communication basketball team third. The winner of the volleyball tournament was the Faculty of Engineering ‘Mashup’ volleyball team, followed by the Faculty of Engineering volleyball team in second place and the Faculty of Education volleyball team in third. In the Table Tennis Tournament, first place went to Enes Cıkcık from the Faculty of Engineering, second place to Res. Asst. Mahmut Ceran from the Faculty of Communication, and third place to Esat Efe Karalar, again from the Faculty of Engineering. The Faculty of Engineering, which received awards in all branches, won the 2024 Rector’s Cup.
