Turkey: Kids to run at home on children's day

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - The coronavirus pandemic hampered sports events across the globe, but a Turkish beverage company will hold a running contest for kids at home to be broadcast live online, a rare practice in sports, the company said on its website.

A local beverage company producing ayran -- a salty yogurt drink popular in Turkey -- Eker said on the event's website that the minors should mark a 100-meter running track inside their homes to join the race on April 23, the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.

It said the attendees can customize their homes to a running track as a living room or several rooms, corridors, or a balcony can be used for this competition.

Once a participant completes the race, the clock keeper nearby will register the running time through a link on the system and a special centenary certificate will be available to download.

The race will be broadcast online and live, and all photos and videos related to the race will be shared on social media.

Kids aged between 6-12 in Turkey are able to attend this competition as the registrations are made free of charge on the company's website, ekerkosu.com

Turkey observes the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day every year on April 23 as 2020 will mark the centenary of the first season of its Grand National Assembly.

The April 23 celebrations focus on children after the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, dedicated the day to children as the nation’s future.

The Grand National Assembly met for the first time in Ankara in 1920 during the War of Independence to lay the foundations for an independent, secular and modern republic.