On May 14, 2025, in Rize, at the ‘YÖK Sports Friendly Campus Award Ceremony’ hosted by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, projects that promote sports culture in universities were awarded. In the ceremony attended by the President of the Higher Education Council (YÖK) Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ) was among the universities that earned the prestigious title of 'Sports Friendly Campus.'
This year, during the evaluation process in which 83 universities from across the country applied, 66 universities were included in the review by meeting the eligibility criteria. As a result of meticulous evaluations, 47 universities were deemed worthy of the 'Sports Friendly Campus' award for the 3-year period covering 2025-2028. MAKÜ, which is among the universities that achieved this success, drew attention with its efforts to improve sports opportunities for students and academic staff.
In the award ceremony attended by the Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, and the President of the World Ethnosport Confederation Bilal Erdoğan, the prestigious title received by MAKÜ will cover the period of 2025-2028.
The award was received on behalf of the MAKÜ Family by Rector Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Dalgar, who stated after the ceremony;
“As MAKÜ, we believe in the importance of sports in individual and social life. Receiving the Sports Friendly Campus title is a great pride for us.
This award is a result of our efforts in this area as part of our strategy and management vision, enabling our students to utilize their extracurricular time effectively, develop in a balanced manner by maintaining their physical and mental health, and make sports a part of their lives.
We are strengthening the sports facilities on our campuses, promoting physical activity, supporting student communities, and increasing collaborations with public institutions, federations, and other stakeholders in sports activities.
We will continue to work to be an exemplary university where sports have become a culture and healthy generations are raised.” he stated.
The Sports Friendly Campus Award given by YÖK:
-Strategy and Management
-Infrastructure and Facilities
-Events and Participation
-Collaboration with Stakeholders
-Student and Community Participation
-Health and Support Services
-Cultural and Traditional Events
-Health and Safety
It is awarded based on 45 multi-faceted evaluation criteria under these headings.
Additionally, according to the statement made by the Higher Education Council, the names of the universities that won the title of 'Sports Friendly Campus' will be specifically mentioned in the 2025 ÖSYM preference guide. This way, prospective students will also be able to pay attention to the sports infrastructure of universities and their approaches to promoting sports while making their preferences.
Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University has documented the sports opportunities it offers to its students with this award and has once again reinforced its place among the exemplary universities across Turkey.
