Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day Turns 100!

May 19, 1919 is undoubtedly one of the most pivotal moments in the history of the Republic of Turkey. May 19th — the date our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk first set foot in Samsun — is also celebrated as "Youth and Sports Day." The reason for this is that during the National Struggle, Atatürk recognized that those who would carry the Turkish nation forward and stand against outdated ideas would be those with young minds. This concept of youth has nothing to do with age — it represents freshness of thought and intellectual renewal. For this reason, the concept of "youth" held special significance for Atatürk. His words must never be forgotten: "To be young in mind means to be truly clear-sighted — one who sees and understands the truth."



On Friday afternoon, May 16, 1919, Atatürk departed from the Galata docks aboard an old steamship called the "Bandırma," accompanied by his companions. On Saturday evening, May 17, 1919, at around 9:40 PM, they arrived in İnebolu. The long-awaited journey came to its end on Monday, May 18, 1919. The passengers were brought ashore by rowboats from a place called Kalyon Burnu to the Central Pier. During the voyage from Istanbul to Samsun, Atatürk was a serving military officer and was dressed accordingly. A few days after landing in Samsun, he began to act not as a soldier but as a civilian. The scene that greeted Atatürk in Samsun was far from encouraging. British occupation forces were present in the city, and Pontian agitators were roaming the streets. The local population was in no position to defend itself. The date of May 19, 1919 — when our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk set foot on the Anatolian soil of Samsun to launch the National Struggle — is also regarded as the day the Turkish War of Independence against the occupation by the Allied Powers began.

The Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day is a national holiday celebrated every year on May 19th in both the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

As we draw our article to a close, let us also share the magnificent poem by Ümit Yaşar Oğuzcan:

I Think of Mustafa Kemal

I think of Mustafa Kemal;
Mounted on a fiery red-maned horse;
Crossing great mountains and vast seas,
His golden hair flowing in the wind,
His blue eyes shining bright.

I think of Mustafa Kemal;
On burnt and ruined battlefields,
Creating legends the world has never seen,
Armies advancing mountain by mountain behind him,
Every soldier just like Mustafa Kemal.

I think of Mustafa Kemal,
Worth all the heroes who ever lived;
Commanding boundless skies;
Mounted on a red horse, sword drawn,
Racing from victory to victory.

I think of Mustafa Kemal;
Who did not die on a November morning;
Still with us, everywhere.
Living in every corner of the homeland;
Living vein by vein in our hearts.

I think of Mustafa Kemal;
His golden hair flowing in the wind,
I see his blue eyes shining bright,
He enters my dreams every night.
I kiss his hands.

Happy Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day to all...