Olcay Çakır Turgut, the 33-year-old player of the crescent-star team that will compete in the FIBA 2026 Women's Basketball World Cup to be held in Berlin, the capital of Germany, between 4-13 September, made statements about the preparation process, his return to the organization after 8 years, his captaincy responsibility, his opponents in the group stage and his goals in the tournament.
Stating that the preparation process is progressing as planned, Olcay Çakır Turgut said, "Everyone is aware of our goals and what awaits us. We are all focused on this and working well. We played a tournament with our coach in March and it went well for us. However, there are still many points we need to work on and improve." he said.
Reminding that he was in the national team squad at the Olympic Games (2016) and the World Championship (2018), Olcay Çakır Turgut emphasized that representing Türkiye on the world stage as captain this time carries an important responsibility for him.
Noting that he wants to help the young players in the team with his experience, Olcay Çakır Turgut said, "As the captain, I am here to be a big sister to my teammates, share my experiences with them and help them as much as I can. Apart from that, representing Türkiye is very valuable in itself. We have really valuable athletes. We are in a very good organization. I would like to especially thank our Federation. They are making a great effort to develop women's basketball and basketball in general in Türkiye. It is very valuable and proud for us to represent Türkiye on the world stage again. giving.” he said.
Olcay Çakır Turgut stated that they want to carry the competitive basketball they showed in the qualifiers in March to the World Cup.
Stating that they are aware of the strengths of their opponents in Group C, Belgium, Australia and Puerto Rico, Olcay said, "I think there is no need to talk about Belgium's successes and championships in Europe. It will be a very difficult first match, but we will do our best. Australia is a very strong team that has won medals in the Olympic Games and the World Championship. It was valuable for us that we lost the match against such an opponent with the last ball in the qualifiers. Of course, the match in the World Cup will be different. After all, this is a single match and we will do our best again." "We will put everything we have on the field. We need at least one win to get out of the group. That's why we see the Puerto Rico match as a match we have to win 100 percent. However, this does not mean that we will give up the fight against Belgium and Australia. We will do everything we can in those matches." he said.
Pointing out that the National Women's Basketball Team has gone through a significant change in the last 8 years, Olcay Çakır Turgut said that the current squad is capable of achieving significant success.
Olcay Çakır Turgut stated that they want to feel the support of Turkish fans at the 2026 World Cup to be held in Berlin.
Stating that the national team is fighting hard to be on the world stage again, Olcay said, "It is really valuable for us that the fans do not leave us alone there. We are struggling and working hard to be here and represent Türkiye on the world stage again. I hope they will not leave us alone at the World Cup and make us feel their support. I would like to thank both those who will follow us on television and everyone who will be with us there." He concluded his words by saying.
