In his written statement after the world championship, which they completed with 1 silver medal, Taha Akgül said, "First of all, I would like you to know that we are far from our target in this World Championship. I experienced the hardest days of my life in this championship. As someone who always expresses our situation open-heartedly, I did not expect that we would fall this short." made his assessment.
Pointing out that they offer the national teams the best working environment in line with the opportunities provided by the state, Akgül continued as follows:
"There were competitions that I had a hard time accepting, and struggles that I couldn't stomach. We had athletes who gave their best, and those who were far from their potential... It is easy to claim success in sports, but the main thing is to take responsibility for failure. We do not have the mentality to escape from this responsibility, ignore the facts, or hide behind excuses. Thank God, we have the courage and the heart. The power of our ancestral sport, wrestling, shows how important it is for Turkish sports in the international arena." "We are aware that Turkish wrestling has the power to leave its mark on the world arena again. We will make the necessary evaluations with our athletes, coaches and boards and continue on our way with stronger and more confident steps."
"Evaluating the situation we are experiencing today only based on the results of this world championship would be ignoring the real problems." Expressing his opinion as follows, Akgül said, "Because the issue that Turkish wrestling faces today is not a one-day, one-month, or even one-year issue. The failure to recruit a sufficient number of new players from the infrastructure to the A National Team level over the years, the failure to create the athlete pool to the desired extent to replace our current champions, and the failure to make adequate long-term planning are at the root of the problems we are experiencing today." he said.
"We have to produce success, not excuses"
Taha Akgül emphasized that they are fighting for the future of Turkish wrestling.
Akgül made the following evaluations:
"Recently, our names that have left their mark on world wrestling such as Rıza Kayaalp, Taha Akgül and Yasemin Adar, and our other friends, have shouldered the medal burden of Turkish wrestling. Significant successes have been achieved on behalf of our country under the leadership of these three great champions. However, today we have to talk courageously and constructively about the structural deficiencies that remain in the shadow of these medals. We have been struggling for exactly this in the approximately 1 year and 10 months since we took office. To carry our young athletes from the infrastructure to the A National Team level, to strengthen our clubs, "We are working in many areas at the same time to increase facilities, create sponsorship resources and establish a permanent system. We are investing heavily in infrastructure, especially to create the squads for the 2032 and 2036 Olympics. I would like you to know that we are also struggling with many challenges that we do not reveal to the public. However, we are aware that there is more work we need to do. I am not saying these to make excuses, because we have to produce success."
Noting that the structural problems accumulated over the years cannot be solved in a few months, Akgül said, "We are responsible not only for saving the next championship, but also for building the Turkish wrestling of the coming decades. Lastly, losing on the mat is in the nature of the sport. However, we expect our athletes to fight until the last second and not to give up no matter what the score is. We will not hesitate to part ways with those who do not embrace this understanding, no matter how talented they are, when necessary. Because the future of Turkish wrestling is not smaller than any individual. However, he shows his heart in this championship. We stand behind all of our athletes who fought hard until the end. My brother Yüksel Sarıçiçek, who is our only consolation by appearing on the mat for the first time in the Senior World Championship, is the best example of this fighting spirit. We will not wipe out any of them with a defeat. We will continue to trust our young people, give them opportunities and raise them to be the champions of the future. He commented:
