President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team, on winning the bronze medal in the European Volleyball Championship by defeating the Netherlands 3-0 in the third-place match in Serbia.
In a post shared on his Twitter account, President Erdoğan stated the following:
"I sincerely congratulate our Women's National Volleyball Team on winning the bronze medal at the CEV 2021 Women's European Volleyball Championship. On behalf of all of Türkiye, I would like to thank the Sultans of the Net who fought right to the end."
A congratulatory phone call from President Erdoğan
President Erdoğan spoke by phone with President of Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) Mehmet Akif Üstündağ and Captain Eda Erdem Dündar to congratulate them on their bronze medal victory over the Netherlands in the third-place match played in Belgrade, Serbia's capital.
Noting that the Bronze Medal was an important indicator of success during his conversation with Eda Erdem Dündar, President Erdoğan said, “I would like to congratulate everyone. There's no need to be sorry. We wished you had returned with the Gold Medal, but that did not happen; third place is just as important as first place. Your performance deserves more than words of praise and congratulations. I want to congratulate everyone on the team. I would be pleased if you, as captain, delivered my congratulations to our friends. Love and greetings to all our friends there. We wish you a continued success.”
Promising President Erdoğan that they would return with the gold medal from the World Championship next year, President of TVF Üstündağ said, “What we truly desired was a gold medal. All of our efforts and work were directed toward obtaining the gold medal. We won eight of the nine matches we played. We lost a total of five sets. Inshallah, we will be preparing for the World Championship next year. Inshallah, we will bring the title of World Champion to our country for the first time.”
Thanking President Erdoğan for his support, TVF President Üstündağ said, "I thank you very much for your support. You are always there for us. We were informed that you had been watching every one of our matches. You have always called us and helped us. Thank you very much."
Eda Erdem Dündar also thanked President Erdoğan.
In addition, President Erdoğan was spotted in his car while watching the National Football Team’s away match against Gibraltar.