Mustafa Kemal ATATURK

Governor of Izmir Cahit Kırac

Countries having advanced development in athletics being the foundation of all other sport branches have advanced development in all other sport branches too. Athletics that is performed as sport of performance in young ages, has been offering us the key of healthy life where it is continued in later years. Veterans are pioneers to our youth, who transmit to young generations, the fact that the sport is a life philosophy.

We, as Turkish Sports Management continue to grow champions and golden men from 7 to 70 in the facilities we constructed and we will construct… It is the main axis of our sports policy to increase the number of such champions and golden men.

Starting with Universiade 2005, the hospitality of us is ongoing with our facilities we owned and modernized. Renovated and modernized the facilities of us had a great assistance to change the sportive personality of our city. Furthermore, international championships have all times great contribution to introduction of our country and our city abroad. Such organizations form a great importance in respect to introduction of Turkish Sport not only within but also beyond the territories of country.

Being organized on the dates 26-27 September 2009, “BALKAN VETERANS ATHLETIC TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP” is only one of the organizations we shall host. In this organization that will be realized through participation of 12 Balkan Countries, we shall view our sportsmen to participate and to achieve success while we shall recall again that sports belong to any age and any nation; that any human being of any age can make sports without distinction of language, religion and race.

I herewith render thanks to the persons and entities contributing efforts to achieve best organization of this championship in our city, and wish best success to all sportsmen, managers and trainers to participate in competitions either national or international.

İzmir Büyükşehir Belediye Başkanı - Aziz Kocaoğlu

Actions conducted in competition form for the purpose of developing physical and mental abilities of human being in a stable and healthy manner are called (SPORTS).
Sport is to aim properly human, not being champion, winning medals, breaking records; these are all bi-products to occur where SPORT is performed accordingly with its aim.
Sport is not an event of championship only but also a human-specific event of living, an event of culture.
What we considered as a culture, sport aims human being, and for humanity there is no tool greater than human itself.
Being one of the most important events of social life of today, sport occupies a significant place in growing healthy generations, introducing countries, increasing production, joining people together, and feeding cultural life with arts.
Purpose of sport is to love, to help love, to spread love, to create friendship and to eliminate hostility among people.
Taken sport as philosophy of life, assumed an important role in establishment of healthy relations between healthy people, İZMİR MASTERS ATHLETIC CLUB is organizing 19th BALKAN VETERANS ATHLETIC TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP on 26-27 September 2009.
I herewith celebrate sportsmen of İZMİR MASTERS ATHLETIC CLUB, those coming from other provinces, who successfully represent our city İzmir and our Turkey, who run for success after another with crescent and star spangled jersey around the world, and all persons and entities providing facility to host sportsmen of friend Balkan countries in İzmir as well as contributing efforts in organization of this championship; I extend my words of welcome and wish success to all of you.

Türkiye Atletizm Federasyonu Başkanı - Mehmet Terzi

Dear Guests, Sportmen, Ladies and Gentlemen;

Welcome to 19th.Balkan Veterants Athletizm Championships will hold on between 26th. and 27th. Septembre .2009, in Izmir, Turkey

The sport are physical and menthal healths, brotherhood, friendship, and love, those are brougth us together again. We are so please to organize of 2009 Balkan Veterants Athletizm Championships

I hug all the sportmen, wish successful and sporsmanlike competitions.

City Director of Youth and Sports - Sabri Sadıklar

Sport is a universal event that causes countries and nations to become closer to each other. Much better we speak such universal language much respectful becomes our place among the world nations.

In this way we set out in development of Turkish Sport, historical steps we take open new horizons for our sport society. As we had great rushes in sport during the 5-year period we passed together, we as Turkey and İzmir city have undersigned great organizations. As we used to get negative response to our demands for national and international organizations in past, now our country and our city İzmir have become among those much sought ones.

Thanks to Universiade we have realized in 2005, our city has become the capital of the great organizations, resulting in that our city has earned worthiness of establishment due to such organization. “BALKAN VETERANS ATHLETIC TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP” shall be realized in Atatürk Sports Complex situated in our establishment-rich city İzmir, the city of organizations on 26-27 September 2009. Becoming the preference of all national and international Federations due to experience we achieved and establishments modernized thanks to Universiade 2005, being the second biggest organization after Olympiads, shall satisfactorily complete also this organization as it did with all other great organizations.

Having been organized in order to have sportsmen of difference countries and their traditions and habits correlate with each other, such sportsmen recognize new places and cultural differences, establish friendship and achieve experience thus transmit such experiences to others, this championship has a further importance in respect to correlation between the countries.

The most important duty of City Directorate of Youth and Sports is to make our people love sport, to spread sport to a wider community thus to provide all people from 7 to 70 with possibility of valuation their free times. Therefore we have been presenting all facilities such as our establishments and stuff to all sport-lovers, amateur and professional sportsmen from 7 to 70 in all national and international sports organizations having been or to be arranged in our city. With believe that it shall be highly helpful in introduction of our country, I wish most success to all sportsmen, arbitrators and trainers to participate in “2009 BALKAN VETERANS ATHLETIC TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP” and I extend all my respect with hope sport shall empower friendship and brotherhood

Organization committee President - Yavuz Tunç

Dear DIETER MASSIN president of EVAA, his secretary dear KURT KASCHKE and dear representatives of Balkan countries, dear ladies and gentlemen

Welcome to Championship of XIX. BALKAN VETERANS ATHLETISM that the 3rd is held in our city with your honor.

We are again glad to see you among us as you have competed until the end with a sportsman spirit although you win or lose but competed shoulder to shoulder, side by side on the running tracks for many years.
 
We will here once more witness again the connectivity of sports, its addition to friendships and peak tolerance.

I want you to know that we did our best to perform successful championship and if any small troubles occurs, I apologize in advance.

I believe that it is our first step for our organization to comply with WMA and EVAA standards. We tried to obey the status performed in those championships. Such as (Electronic data recording –previous preparation of competition charts)

We invited EVAA president and General Secretary as our Honor guest to Championship to integrate and to listen our deficiencies from them. I would like to thank to them as they replied us positively.
 
I would like to thank to Izmir Governor, Metropolitan President , Youth and Sport City Director, Athletism Federation president and to all our sponsors who provided great support and help  for success of this championship.

I thank to Referees and assigned personnel who have shown any kind of self sacrifice in this championship.

I wish this championship will bring Friendship, brotherhood and peace to all nations and with my best regards.