Iğdır's Unfinished Tennis Dream and the Magnificent Return Realized 45 Years Later

A story illuminating sports history in the Tuzluca district of Iğdır carries a deep-rooted memory from 45 years ago and great hopes for the future. An idealist teacher and his students, who served at Tuzluca 100. Yıl Lisesi starting from the 1981-1982 academic year, placed sports and art at the center of the school despite limited opportunities. Instead of an education based solely on theoretical knowledge, great efforts were made to endear mind and body sports such as chess and table tennis, the school walls were adorned with reliefs, and all students were encouraged to take responsibility. The work done during this period has left such a deep-rooted legacy that it inspires not only the students of that day but also future generations.

The importance given to mind sports was so great that custom chess tables were made one by one without any payment by visiting Tuzluca's only carpenter, and ten students had the opportunity to make moves at the same time on these tables. Under the leadership of Physical Education teacher Veli Numan, while female students achieved great success particularly in chess, table tennis, volleyball, and athletics, male students had devoted their hearts to football. These steps taken to spread sports at the school and have it embraced by the public represented a period that left deep traces and was not forgotten even as years passed. However, this developed sports culture did not remain only within school limits; it spread among the local people and military units, setting an example of solidarity.

One of the most striking examples of these developments undoubtedly emerged with the use of equipment coming from Iran. Şaban Yağız, the father of a student named İrfan Yağız, brought quality table tennis rackets and balls—which were very difficult to procure under the tough economic conditions of the period—from Iran, where he had gone for commercial purposes, and donated them to the school. Thanks to this sacrifice, the mass playing table tennis at the school grew like an avalanche; this branch became one of the most popular by organizing tournaments not only among students but also with teachers and officers in the border units. The fact that sports equipment prices were affordable following the regime change in Iran in those years made Mr. Şaban's initiatives even more meaningful and contributed greatly to the development of sports in Tuzluca.

This vitality in table tennis also brought tennis to the agenda, and it was desired to utilize the quality tennis rackets and balls brought by Şaban Yağız. Upon the joint decision of the teachers and students, a tennis court was patiently built in the wide area where the school's septic tank was located at the back, and play began by drawing a net. However, because the court was in the open air and its surroundings could not be enclosed, collecting stray balls during hard hits caused them to spend most of their out-of-class work hours and caused the students to experience excessive fatigue. Since no solution could be found to enclose the court due to financial impossibilities and technical conditions of that time, tennis was unfortunately perceived as a "sport of the rich" under the conditions of that time and was not considered sufficient.

Looking back today, this tennis dream, which was a debt of those days, is realizing a magnificent turnaround thanks to the persistence shown by the Iğdır Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports in recent years. In particular, the worldwide successes of athletes like Zeynep Sönmez and the support given to sports by the provincial directorship show that the efforts of those days did not go in vain and are bearing fruit today. The fact that the female students who learned chess in that period are now endearing this sport to their own children, and that the unfinished tennis story is now being completed with modern organizations, is one of the strongest bridges established between the past and the future. The poignant scenes where children experience the excitement of tennis tournaments and make plans on the salt mounds of Iğdır are turning Tuzluca's dream from 45 years ago into a success story today.