Sport in Northern Cyprus

There are 29 sports federations in Northern Cyprus and 13,838 people registered in them as of 2008. Taekwondo-karate-aikido-kurash is the most popular sport with 6054 athletes. It is followed by association football (2240 athletes), shooting (1150 athletes) and hunting (1017 athletes).[1]

Due to the lack of international recognition, Northern Cyprus is not a member of some international sporting bodies.

Some Northern Cyprus sport clubs participate in Turkey's sport leagues. For example: the Fast Break Sport Club, in Turkey's Men's Basketball Regional League; the Beşparmak Sport Club, in Turkey's Handball Premier League; and the Lefka European University, in Turkey's Table-tennis Super League. The international record for swimming 75 km between Turkey and Northern Cyprus belongs to Turkish national Alper Sunaçoğlu (completed in 26 hours and 15 minutes).[2]

  1. ^ TRNC State Planning Organization. 2008 Yılı Makroekonomik ve Sektörel Gelişmeler, p.176-179.
  2. ^ "Swimming record from Turkey to Northern Cyprus". Brtk.net. Retrieved 2010-11-17.