SSL Team TUR – By Sailors for Sailors

THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP... IN SAILING

EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS | 14-17 July 2026 | Grandson, Switzerland

FINALS | 15 Nov - 13 Dec 2026 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Events

Replay

EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS 2

G2 - Race 1

14:00

14 July 2026

SWITZERLAND

Participants

POR

TUR

BUL

Results

Replay

EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS 2

G2 - Race 2

15:30

14 July 2026

SWITZERLAND

Participants

POR

TUR

BUL

Results

Replay

EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS 2

G2 - Race 3

11:00

15 July 2026

SWITZERLAND

Participants

POR

TUR

BUL

Results

Replay

EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS 2

G2 - Race 4

11:30

16 July 2026

SWITZERLAND

Participants

POR

TUR

BUL

Results

Replay

EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS 2

G2 - Race 5

12:30

16 July 2026

SWITZERLAND

Participants

POR

TUR

BUL

Results

Replay

EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS 2

G2 - Race 6

15:30

17 July 2026

SWITZERLAND

Participants

POR

TUR

BUL

Results

See All Races

News

30 DAYS TO GO: TRAINING BEGINS IN BRAZIL

Just 30 days remain until the SSL Gold Cup Final Series, and preparations are already underway in Brazil. The boats have arrived, and the first teams are taking to the…

DateMonday at 16:43

Rio to host the Sailing World Cup

Rio will host the Sailing World Cup with teams from 40 countries on the 2016 Olympic racecourses. Ten years after the Olympics, the SSL Gold Cup will bring together more…

DateSunday at 15:20

40 DAYS TO GO : THE ROAD TO RIO IS HEATING UP

Only 40 days to go until the SSL Gold Cup Final Series in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The countdown is on, and preparations are moving into high gear. Our shore…

Date10.10.2026

YOUNG TURKS

New Generation of Turkish Sailors

YOUNG TURKISH OLYMPIC SAILORS TEAMING UP FOR NEW CHALLENGE

Turkiye may not have won an Olympic medal yet but has been a strong member of the international sailing community. The first participation in the Olympics dates back to 1936 and the tradition has continued since. In addition to the Olympics, Turkish sailors and sailing teams took part in TP52 and other offshore races, thus widening the horizons of the young generation of Turkish sailors.

In the past three decades the Turkish Olympic sailing team has proven to be a worthy competitor, claiming a number of titles in European and World Championships. Since then, every new generation comes with its flare and adds up to the already established strength of the Olympic sailing tradition. The SSL Gold Cup will provide a new opportunity for this young generation to show their talent and dedication to the Sailing Sport, thus enabling them to ever integrate with the larger community of Sailors and events.

STATISTICS

The Country

100.000 Nautical Passionates
2.000 Sailors
150 Sailing Clubs
Over 8.000 km. of Sea Cost

Achievements

8 Olympic Participation
4 World Cup Medals
Laser Youth World Champion
TP52 Champion

SSL Ranking

SSL best ranked woman: 1050 Ecem Guzel
SSL best ranked man: 451 Veli Ergin Imre
SSL nations ranking: 32

Having won the most medals in international regattas for Turkish Sailing; Team Captain Alican Kaynar has proven to be a strong candidate for a medal in the Los Angeles Olympics.

THE CAPTAIN

ALICAN KAYNAR

Alican Kaynar is a four-time Olympian and one of the most successful sailors in Turkish sailing history. He represented Türkiye at London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, competing at the highest level across both the Finn and Nacra 17 classes.

Following his 8th-place finish at Tokyo 2020 and his rise to 2nd in the Finn world rankings, Alican was regarded among the world’s top Finn sailors. After Tokyo, he made a major transition to the Nacra 17 class, opening a new chapter in his Olympic career and bringing a new high-performance pathway to Turkish sailing. He is currently continuing his Olympic campaign in the Nacra 17 class as he prepares for Los Angeles 2028.

With a sailing career that began at the age of six, Alican now leads SSL Team Türkiye as captain. Combining Olympic experience, tactical knowledge and strong leadership, he is taking on the SSL challenge to represent the strength, ambition and potential of Turkish sailing on the international stage.

The Leaders

CEM GÖZEN

Cem Gözen is an experienced Turkish sailor with a strong background in high-performance racing and international one-design competition.

He has been involved in several of Türkiye’s leading sailing projects, including Team Turx in the Extreme Sailing Series and the All In One Swan 50 program. Through these projects, he has gained experience in professional racing environments and international competition.

His recent achievements include 3rd place overall and Corinthian European Champion at the 2023 J/70 European Championship, as well as 2nd place at the 2024 One Pro World Championship.

As part of SSL Team Türkiye, Cem brings racing experience and strong team spirit to the crew.

ONUR BİLGEN

Onur Bilgen is an experienced Turkish sailor with a long and successful career in competitive sailing. He competed for many years as part of the Turkish Olympic sailing team and has won numerous Turkish National Championship titles throughout his career.

In addition to his Olympic class background, Onur has been actively competing in yacht racing for many years, achieving consistent success at national level. Having raced in a variety of classes and team racing programs, he brings valuable racing experience, teamwork and commitment to SSL Team Türkiye.

KIVANÇ SEVİNÇ

Kıvanç is the most experienced bowman among Turkish sailors and thus considered to be the best for that position. He’s athletic, calm and performs with perfection under pressure. He’s been a member of a TP52 circuit and sailed as a bowman of a champion team. He’ll be trusted with all the actions on the bow for the Young Turks Team.

YOUTH FACTOR

Turkey has a quite large fleet of young sailors aiming to go to the Olympics. In recent years, young Turkish sailors have proven to be very successful by claiming the titles in the Optimist and Laser classes. In 2019 Yalçın Çıtak claimed the Youth World Championship in the Laser class. He’ll be a natural member of the Turkish SSL team, as well as others to follow on his footsteps.

Confirmed Athletes

Tactician | 10

- | -

Helm | 7

Bow | 1

- | -

Floater | 11

- | -

Grinder | 2

Trimmer | 6

Trimmer | 4

Pit | 7

Main Trimmer | TBD

Trimmer | 5

Offside Trimmer | TBD

Reserve | TBD

- | -

Helm | 8

Pit | 3

Potential Team Position

1 Bow Kıvanç Sevinç	2 Mid Bow
3 Pit Ekin Büyükyılmaz	4 Grinder Berkay Abay
5 Trimmer Cem Gözen	6 Trimmer Baykan Melis
7 Main Trimmer Anıl Berk	8 Helm Onur Bilgen
9 Tactician Alican Kaynar	10 Captain Alican Kaynar
11 Floater Umut Eyriparmak