he Çoruh River in northeastern Turkey, for example, is one of the 10 best places for rafting, according to National Geographic. The river also hosted the fourth edition of the World Rafting Championship in 1993.The first group known to raft on the Çoruh River was Israeli athletes in the 1990s. The sport caught the attention of the tourism minister of the time, Abdülkadir Ateş, who held an event on the river to introduce the sport in 1992. The first event saw a mishap as the boat that Ateş was in capsized. The following year, the ministry hired an international organization, ProjectRaft, to hold the world championship. Later rafting areas were discovered in Antalya and Muğla, where summer tourism has boomed in recent years.
The sport could be held more regularly and could be more publicized if it were managed through an autonomous federation, Developing Sports Federation Deputy Chairman Şafak Tatoğlu told Sunday’ Zaman.
The sport does not have an autonomous governing body. It is officially overseen by the Turkish Developing Sports Federation, where the highest post in rafting is that of deputy chairman.
“Rafting attracts many people to Turkey, and the lack of an autonomous governing body is hindering its further development. An autonomous federation would bring in high quality athletes and would be able to oversee recreational rafting activities,” Tatoğlu said.
While explaining that Turkey has the potential of being one of the leading rafting countries in Europe, Tatoğlu said they are unable to hold professional rafting events more often for various reasons. “First is the lack of an autonomous body. Another reason is that rafting athletes do not engage in the sport professionally because the future does not seem bright. They either compete in other sports or participate in recreational rafting activities as guides. The athletes only raft competitively for a couple of years.”
He also added that they can organize only two or three big nationwide events in a year and that Turkish athletes can take part in a mere one or two international events annually because they have such a limited budget.
Season starts
The rafting season has started recreationally with the arrival of spring. The first Turkish Rafting Championship took place in the northeastern province of Rize in mid-April with 28 clubs participating. The Ardeşen Fırtına Valley and the İslampaşa Taşlıdere Spring were the venues for the event. Following the event, Developing Sports Federation Chairman Enver Oral reiterated that the sport needed an autonomous rafting federation, noting that the sport has an important place in Turkey and that it must move forward with a federation.
Tatoğlu also said rafting brings tourists to Turkey. “Thousands of tourists participate in rafting activities in tourist destinations, including Antalya and Muğla. There is also interest in good circulation in terms of tourism activities in the northern provinces of Artvin, Rize and Düzce.”
Complaining about the lack of official supervision, Tatoğlu said such shortcomings, including rafting services from people who do not have licenses, hinder the sector and the improvement of the sport.
Turkey’s popular rafting destinations
The Çoruh River originates in the Mescit Mountains (3,225 meters) and flows 466 kilometers before reaching the Black Sea in Georgia. It is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the world. The river is located in the northeastern province of Artvin.
If you have never been whitewater rafting, the Köprülü River is a great place to start, as the river’s rapids are turbulent enough to excite but not too intimidating. The river is located in the Manavgat district of the southern province of Antalya.
The Dalaman River, located in the popular tourism province of Muğla, is famous for its recreational rafting activities. Knowing how to swim is enough to take part in enjoyable rafting tours.
Other rafting destinations are the Barhal, Berta in Artvin, the Çolaklı and Dragon rivers in Antalya and the Göksu River in Mersin.
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