\n ![\"Turkish](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/459436.jpg\")
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\n Turkish women’s volleyball team and Youth and Sports Minister Osman A\u015fk\u0131n Bak (C) celebrate winning the Women’s European Volleyball Championship EuroVolley final match against Italy at the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall, Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye, Sept. 6, 2026. (IHA Photo) <\/p>\nBak praised the team’s resilience after they fell behind twice in the final.<\/p>\n
“We fell behind twice but knew how to win,” Bak said after the match. “We Turks have a saying: ‘It isn’t over until we say it is over.’ They put up a tremendous fight.”<\/p>\n
Bak said the victory had given millions of Turkish fans another reason to celebrate and praised the atmosphere inside the arena.<\/p>\n
He said about 17,000 spectators attended the final, describing the crowd as a record and saying CEV officials had told him they had never witnessed an atmosphere like it.<\/p>\n
Bak also credited investments in volleyball and sports facilities across T\u00fcrkiye, while praising the Turkish Volleyball Federation, coaching staff and players for their roles in the championship.<\/p>\n
He singled out Vargas, G\u00fcne\u015f, \u015eahin, captain Eda Erdem and Hande Balad\u0131n for their performances.<\/p>\n
“Vargas being named the MVP is very important,” Bak said. “Zehra, Elif \u015eahin, our captain despite her age, Hande Balad\u0131n and all the other players made tremendous contributions.”<\/p>\n
Bak also said President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan called the team to congratulate them after the victory.<\/p>\n
“T\u00fcrkiye is a volleyball country,” Bak said. “We are proving that with our results.”<\/p>\n
Fans celebrate across T\u00fcrkiye<\/p>\n
The championship sparked celebrations well beyond the Istanbul arena.<\/p>\n
In Istanbul’s Kartal district, hundreds of fans gathered at Neyzen Tevfik Square to watch the final on a giant screen. Supporters waved Turkish flags, sang songs and cheered after every point as T\u00fcrkiye battled Italy.<\/p>\n
Similar scenes unfolded in Mersin, where hundreds of fans watched the final on a giant screen set up near the marina.<\/p>\n
The crowd celebrated together after T\u00fcrkiye completed their comeback, turning the waterfront into a celebration of the team’s latest international success.<\/p>\n
“We held our breath watching the women’s success on the coast and celebrated the championship shoulder to shoulder,” Mersin officials said.<\/p>\n
The celebrations reflected the growing popularity of women’s volleyball in T\u00fcrkiye, where the national team has become one of the country’s most successful and closely followed sporting sides.<\/p>\n
A bridge becomes a volleyball net<\/p>\n
The team’s European triumph was also celebrated with a special visual display on Istanbul’s 15 July Martyrs Bridge.<\/p>\n
Adidas, a sponsor of the Turkish national volleyball teams, released a CGI film depicting the iconic bridge transforming into a giant volleyball net.<\/p>\n
A huge volleyball appeared in the sky and crossed the net, referencing the point that secured the championship. The film then showed the entire Turkish team alongside the message, “Congratulations, Filenin Sultanlar\u0131.”<\/p>\n
The European title also delivered another major reward for T\u00fcrkiye: a direct place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.<\/p>\n
The qualification means the Turkish women will compete at their fourth consecutive Olympic Games and their third in a row.<\/p>\n
T\u00fcrkiye previously competed at London 2012, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.<\/p>\n
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