Fans Against Violence takes its message to Spor Toto All Star and onto Turkish national TV

ISTANBUL - On Sunday 24 January, the biggest stars of Turkey's Spor Toto Basketball League gathered at Ulker Sports Arena for the league's annual All-Star showcase. Alongside the high-flying dunks and sharp-shooting, fans in attendance also got a chance to see Fans Against Violence, a project supported by the European Commission, in action.

Fan representatives of 13 Spor Toto Basketball League teams took to the court before the game tipped off in order to introduce the project and its anti-fan violence message. It marked the first-ever such initiative at an All-Star organisation in Turkey.

On Monday, Fans Against Violence took its message to television screens across Turkey. In the debut of what will be a bi-monthly programme on Sports TV, host Erdem Bitik and Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) Project Manager Tuvana Tinaz discussed the origins of Fans Against Violence and its goals.

Fan representatives from Anadolu Efes, Banvit, Besiktas Sompo Japan, Darussafaka Dogus, Fenerbahce, Pinar Karsiyaka, and Sakarya Municipality also joined the programme, as did TBF Chief Advisor for Project Development and International Affairs, Dr Emir Turam.

The participants introduced the project and emphasised their efforts to establish a positive dialogue among fans of rival teams.

Future episodes will include visits to Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, and Spain to take a look at activities outside of Turkey under the Fans Against Violence umbrella. Additional guests will include academics, members of the media, and TBF executives.

FIBA