'Very special': VakifBank's US volleyball player Chiaka Ogbogu praises Türkiye

By Bozhan Memis

ISTANBUL (AA) - US national Chiaka Ogbogu, who plays for Turkish volleyball club VakifBank, has praised Türkiye, calling it an ideal country both to pursue a career and live in.

“It (Türkiye) is one of our favorite places to play. Even before I decided to play here, I obviously took the advice from Jordan Larson. She has wonderful things to say. Not only about the league but about Istanbul and Türkiye in general. I think I can confidently say for an American, it is a really good place to play. It’s somewhere we really feel comfortable,” she told Anadolu.

“Türkiye is very special because you have some of the top teams that can compete with anybody in the world."

The 27-year-old also spoke about the reputation of her club and the Turkish league. “I think for a lot of athletes, including myself, you hear the name Vakifbank and you think about trophies, think about success, the legends. And now being a part of it I understand how hard it is to reach this level, how much dedication it takes. I’m really proud to be a part of this story.”

Besides volleyball, Ogbogu said she likes tennis and Japanese star Naomi Osaka is one of her favorites. “I like to watch tennis. I had the opportunity to go to US Open this year. I got to meet Naomi Osaka at the Olympics. I’m a big fan, but terrible at tennis so I don’t think she would want to play with me,” she joked.

Asked about her top destinations in Türkiye, the American player said: “I got to go to Cappadocia and I tell everybody it’s somewhere they have to go. It was the coolest experience of my life; going up in the hot air balloons and also just being around in this area was really, really cool.

"I would love to visit beach areas such as Bodrum and Kas, when it’s warm, of course.”

*Writing by Selcuk Bugra Gokalp in Ankara