Sultans of the Net, who received an Olympic quota, came to Istanbul. The plane took off from Tokyo, the capital of Japan, where the organization was held, and landed at Istanbul Airport at around 20.45. The national team was welcomed at the airport by Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, young volleyball players of Arnavutköy Belediye Spor, many press members and fans. Young volleyball players of Arnavutköy Belediye Spor sent the flowers and confetti they brought with them to the players.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) President Mehmet Akif Üstündağ, National Women’s Volleyball Team Head Coach Daniele Santarelli and team captain Eda Erdem and other national players made statements at the match ceremony.
DAVUT GÜL: THE SULTANS OF THE NET, I’M GLAD THEY EXIST
Welcoming the National Women’s Volleyball Team at Istanbul Airport, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said, “We welcomed the ‘Sultans of the net’. We are very happy as a country. We are very happy as Istanbul. We are very happy for our coaches and each of our players, including the president of the volleyball federation, for making us feel this pride.” “We thank you very much. I’m glad they exist. I’m glad they are in Istanbul,” he said.
MEHMET AKİF ÜSTÜNDAĞ: OUR GOAL IS TO GET A MEDAL AT THE OLYMPICS
TVF President Mehmet Akif Üstündağ stated that they made Turkey experience a very important pride and said, “The ‘Sultans of the Net’, who gave us this beauty, won three championships in three tournaments in a year that is perhaps unique in the world. This is a very important pride for our country. Those who contributed here I thank everyone. It was a long marathon. They fought abroad, far from their homes for four months. But they did not give up, they fought until the last ball. They became the pride of the country. We are at the beginning of this road. Our goal is not to go to the Olympics anymore, but to get a medal at the Olympics. We want a medal at the Olympics now. This is also “I hope it will be a first in Turkish sports history. We are strong enough to achieve this. I thank our Governor very much,” he said.
DANIELE SANTARELLI: IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT SUMMER FOR US
National Women’s Volleyball Team Head Coach Daniele Santarelli stated that he was very happy and said, “We reached our goal after passing the Olympic qualifications. It is a great summer for us. I always say it, I want to say it once again, I am proud of this team. But we are really tired. Very little.” “We have a rest period. All we can say is that we are very happy,” he said.
EDA ERDEM: WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE COLOR OF THE MEDAL IN THE OLYMPICS
Eda Erdem, captain of the crescent-star team, said:
“We are together again after the Olympic qualifiers, which is the third and most important tournament of this summer. We have achieved our goals. We are very happy and peaceful. There have been achievements that we are all proud of. I would like to thank all my friends, the technical team and the federation. Every individual in this team, this summer will be unforgettable From now on, we are raising our targets even higher. We had a good summer. We are looking forward to next summer. Now the target is much higher. We want to talk about the color of the medal in the Olympics. We showed an incredible fight this summer. In fact, the success of this team is due to hard work, determination and hard work on the field together. “It emerged as a result of discipline. I thank all of them very much.”
“I AM SO HAPPY, I THINK I IMMORTALIZED MYSELF”
Stating that he learned that his statue would be erected by the Fenerbahçe Club on his way to Japan for the qualifiers, Captain Eda Erdem said, “It is a source of great happiness and pride for me to be remembered among the legends of our club and that my statue will be built. I listened with tears of joy as our president spoke. “I am very happy, I think I immortalized myself. More precisely, my club and the fans deemed me worthy of this. From here, I would like to thank both our club, the president and our fans. They made me the happiest person in the world,” he concluded his words.
HANDE BALADIN: THIS TEAM DESERVES THE MOST LOVE AND RESPECT
National player Hande Balâdın underlined that the fans who came to greet them at the airport created a very nice atmosphere and said, “There is a great atmosphere. It makes us happy to see so much love. I am proud of my team and myself. We are not people who can congratulate ourselves well. We thank everyone for their support.” “This team deserves the most love and respect,” he said.
GİZEM ÖRGE: IT WAS A DREAM-LIKE SUMMER
Describing the successes achieved during the summer as a dream, Gizem Örge said, “We are really proud. It was a summer like a dream. We made it a reality. We were giving signals of this success from the very beginning with our energy, belief, work and determination. Just as our entire nation and people believed in us.” “We are very happy to return to our country with 3 trophies,” he said.
ASLI KALAÇ: WE CAN SAY IT IS A GOLDEN SUMMER FOR US
National volleyball player Aslı Kalaç said, “We can call it a golden summer for us. We left all the tournaments successfully, we left with the gold medal, we left with the cup. We are very happy. We would like to thank all the Turkish people who supported us and jumped up and down with us.”
SIMGE AKÖZ: THOSE MEDALS WE RECEIVED ARE WORTH EVERYTHING
National libero Simge Aköz said, “Those medals we received are worth everything. Whether you are undefeated or not. It is really a great stability. But the warmth of that gold medal is completely different.”