Sakarya

Sakarya is a province and metropolitan municipality in northwestern Turkey, situated on the Black Sea coast, with a population of more than 1.1 million inhabitants. Its administrative capital is Adapazarı. In 2023, Sakarya was awarded the prestigious European City of Sport title by ACES Europe, a recognition that reflects the ambitious sports policy driven by the metropolitan municipality under the motto 'A city cannot be without sports'. The city has developed an extensive sporting offer covering handball, football, combat sports and health-sport initiatives for citizens, with events such as the Cycling FEST and the Off-Road Cup. The new Sakarya Atatürk Stadium, opened in 2017 with a capacity of 28,113 spectators, and the Serdivan Sports Hall — suitable for basketball, volleyball, handball, fencing and martial arts — form the backbone of its sports infrastructure.