Turkey won the gold medal by beating Italy 3-2 at the 2026 CEV European Championship

Türkiye won the gold medal by beating Italy 3-2 in the 2026 CEV European Championship final.

After the final, Minister Osman Aşkın Bak made a statement to the press.

Minister Bak started his speech by congratulating the National Team and said, "We fell behind twice, but we managed to win. For us Turks, 'It is not over until we say it is over'. This is a slogan. They put up a great fight. We congratulate our team wholeheartedly. We became champions in the Nations League in 2026. We were there when we became European champions again in 2023. They made our nation proud. They made a great comeback. They put on a great game. Completely different sets." "When you look at it, they managed to win in the last set and achieved a good result by maintaining the difference." he said.

Osman Aşkın Bak continued his speech with the following words:

"We also congratulate the wonderful audience. We are a nation with high national feelings. This championship is really very valuable. Especially this atmosphere of the Sultans of the Net made us very happy. 17 thousand spectators is a great record. When we talked to the President of CEV, they said, 'We have never seen such an atmosphere.' It was a really nice organization. We also congratulate the volleyball federation. All of these show the environment our country has reached in sports facilities investments. Because a lot of investments have been made in volleyball. Sports investments made in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir... We especially thank our President. He also called and congratulated the players. We wholeheartedly know his support for sports, he follows all the matches. He also called the Sultans of the Net and congratulated them."

Minister Bak praised the performance of the star and crescent players and said, "They played incredibly. It is very important for Vargas to be selected as the Most Valuable Player. Zehra, the middle player, and Elif Şahin, the setter, also put up an incredible fight despite the captain's age. He motivated his friends and carried them in a great way. All our other athletes, from Hande Baladın to them, made a great contribution. We also congratulate the head coach. He also has a great experience and a great harmony with the team." he said.

"We are happy, we made our nation, 86 million people happy." Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak made the following evaluations:

"It is important for our nation to be happy. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who watches the screens, comes here and follows. Championships suit us. Turkey is a volleyball country. It proves this. As you know, our men's team is fighting, they have reached the top league, we follow them. We expect good things from them, too. The success of our youth teams, our boys' volleyball high school team being the world champion, being the Balkan champion... Our girls being champions in the Mediterranean Games, these are very, very valuable things. Turkey is doing great things in volleyball. He succeeds. How happy is the one who says he is a Turk! How happy is it to be a citizen of this country, good luck to our nation. Enjoy the championship, there is another championship in the future."