The Olympic Journey of Turks

The purpose of this study is to examine Turkey's participation and medal performance in the Olympic Games between 1908 and 2024 using the "Time Series Analysis" method. The methodology of the research relies on Time Series Analysis, which involves analyzing data collected sequentially over time. Time Series Analysis aims to understand and predict future trends, cycles, and random (residual) changes based on past data. According to the findings of the study, countries like the United States and China stand out due to their extensive infrastructure, athlete training programs, and emphasis on sports culture. In contrast, Turkey lags behind in this regard, highlighting deficiencies in winning medals across a broader range of disciplines. This situation became even more evident during the 2024 Paris Games, where Turkey failed to secure a gold medal, winning only three silver and five bronze medals, with a total of eight. Although Turkey’s performance in the Olympic Games has shown improvements during certain periods (e.g., 1948 London, 1960 Rome, and 2020 Tokyo), it remains limited compared to Olympic powerhouses like the United States and China. Despite participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with 101 athletes across 18 different disciplines, Turkey ranked 64th in the medal standings. This position sharply contrasts with the performances of the 204 participating countries and 329 events (32 sports and 48 disciplines), underscoring the need for a more comprehensive development process in Turkish sports. Considering its young population and potential, Turkey, with its long-standing Olympic history, needs to establish a large pool of athletes, increase infrastructure investments, and develop realistic programs for training athletes across diverse disciplines. These efforts are critically important for enhancing Turkey’s success in the Olympic Games.