The Flag Painting Event, organized with the support of Yalıkavak Marina and Ruins Luxury Resort, took place on Friday, October 2, in the garden of the Bodrum Health Foundation. Individuals with special needs and volunteers came together to paint the racing flags that will be carried by the boats during the 38th The Bodrum Cup.
Individuals with special needs from the Bodrum Health Foundation, students from Bodrum Marmara College, many volunteers from Bodrum, on Friday, October 2, came together to The Bodrum Cup’s racing flags. The event was attended by The Bodrum Cup Organizing Committee Chairman Süleyman Uysal, The Bodrum Cup Honorary Chairman Erman Aras, Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Aras, Bodrum Mayor Tamer Mandalinci, Cactus Hotels Group Director of Food & Beverage Operations and Openings Eylül Candan, Cactus Hotels Group Marketing Manager Abdullah Gül, and Yalıkavak Marina Front Office Manager Aziza Mammadova. These flags will create colorful scenes on the water during the races.
The flags prepared during this gathering, which has been held since 2016, will be carried on the boats during race week. The foundation students who participated in the painting are scheduled to watch the start of the first leg from a special boat on Tuesday, October 20.
The Bodrum Cup Organizing Committee Chairman Süleyman Uysal stated: “Flag painting is one of the gatherings we look forward to most as race week approaches. We have been coming together with our friends at the Bodrum Health Foundation since 2016 to prepare the racing flags. Seeing these flags on the boats a few weeks later brings back memories of the day spent here. I would like to thank the foundation, the participants, and everyone who supported us this year.”
The Bodrum Cup Honorary Chairman Erman Aras added: “The preparation for The Bodrum Cup begins long before the boats reach the starting line. Preparing these flags in the foundation's garden is a beautiful part of that process. When we see them at sea on race day, we will remember the day spent here and everyone who contributed.”
Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Arassaid: “One of the most meaningful traditions of The Bodrum Cup, which has been creating value for 38 years at every stage—from its preparation process to its races at sea, and from its gatherings on the shore to the social impact it creates—is the racing flag painting event, which was held for the 10th time this year with the Bodrum Health Foundation.”
Colored by the imagination of individuals with special needs, these flags will represent equality, solidarity, hope, and our will to live together. Each brushstroke will serve as a reminder that everyone must be provided with equal opportunities to exist and create in all areas of life.
Bringing together the spirit of solidarity in maritime culture and the unifying power of art, this event shows that The Bodrum Cup is much more than just a race.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all our participants who brought the race flags to life with their colors; to our Bodrum Health Foundation, The Bodrum Cup Committee, our families, our volunteers, and everyone who contributed to this meaningful tradition.
Bodrum Mayor Tamer Mandalinci stated: “In this event, which has become a beautiful and meaningful tradition over the 38-year journey of The Bodrum Cup—one of the most beautiful stories of Bodrum meeting the blue waters—we continue to prepare the race flags together with our individuals with special needs at our Bodrum Health Foundation. I find this gathering, held for the 10th time this year, to be very precious. Because these flags will not just wave on our boats. Each one of them will carry traces of friendship, solidarity, love, effort, and collective creation. Every brushstroke made here reminds us all of something beautiful: we become a stronger society when we make life beautiful together, when we create space for one another, and when we multiply the opportunities for everyone to showcase their talents.
As the Bodrum Municipality, we are working for a city where everyone feels they belong, where they can create, and where they can exist in every aspect of life. We place great importance on our individuals with special needs being more involved in life through art, sports, culture, and production. I would like to thank our Bodrum Health Foundation, Yalıkavak Marina, Ruins Luxury Resort, The Bodrum Cup family, our volunteers, and everyone who contributed to the realization of this beautiful event. I hope that each flag prepared here will carry the spirit of solidarity, the color, and the beautiful heart of Bodrum as it waves on the sea during the 38th The Bodrum Cup.”
Bodrum Health Foundation President Hülya Kocadon stated: “When it is time for The Bodrum Cup, a truly different energy flows through our foundation. As we do every year, we are painting the flags for the 38th The Bodrum Cup together with great enthusiasm. On Friday, October 2nd, our students, volunteers, foundation team, The Bodrum Cup family, and our Bodrum Mayor, Mr. Tamer Mandalinci, who never leaves us alone as he does every year, are meeting around the same table. For us, this is not just a painting event; it is a very special moment where barriers are removed with brushstrokes, and love, sharing, and common dreams are poured onto fabric. When those boats catch the wind and set sail on race day, it makes us proud to see the flags, which bear the hard work of our students, waving. We are proud to be a part of this deep-rooted organization of Bodrum and to continue this beautiful tradition by growing it every year.”
Yalıkavak Marina CEO Umut Özkan stated: “The Bodrum Cup is a highly valuable organization that keeps Bodrum’s maritime culture alive, makes the city’s values visible on a national and international scale, and brings different stakeholders together around a common spirit. The Flag Painting Event has become one of the most meaningful and special parts of this strong tradition over the years. The fact that the flags, prepared with the efforts of individuals with special needs and volunteers at the Bodrum Health Foundation, will wave on the boats throughout the race ensures that this contribution is carried to the sea and reaches a much wider audience.
As Yalıkavak Marina, we see it as an important part of our corporate responsibility not only to contribute to the development of the maritime sector but also to support the social and cultural life of the region we are in. We place great importance on standing by initiatives that protect Bodrum’s values, strengthen social participation, and create a lasting impact.
We are pleased to contribute once again to this meaningful gathering that has been sustained for many years; we thank the Bodrum Health Foundation, The Bodrum Cup team, the volunteers, and everyone who contributed. We believe that the 38th The Bodrum Cup will once again reflect Bodrum’s maritime heritage, energy, and unifying spirit in the strongest way possible.”
Cactus Hotel Group Board Member Nurçe Erben stated the following regarding the event: “Bodrum is a very special place, not only with its tourism and sea but also with its culture of acting together. We find it very valuable that this tradition, which The Bodrum Cup has maintained for years, brings individuals with special needs, students, and volunteers at the Bodrum Health Foundation together around the same table. As Ruins Luxury Resort, we are very happy to support the Flag Painting Event this year together with Yalıkavak Marina. The fact that the flags prepared here together will be waving on The Bodrum Cup boats in a few weeks makes the effort put forth today a part of the race and a part of Bodrum. I would like to thank the Bodrum Health Foundation, The Bodrum Cup team, and all the participants who contributed to this meaningful gathering.”
• Tuesday, October 20: Bodrum-Bodrum
• Wednesday, October 21: Bodrum-Knidos
• Thursday, October 22: Knidos-Ortakent
• Friday, October 23: Ortakent-Yalıkavak
• Saturday, October 24: Yalıkavak-Yalıkavak
Registration is now open for the event, which is expected to host hundreds of boats and sailors again this year. For detailed information and registration:
www.bodrumcup.com
This year, more than 200 boats, over 2,000 sailors, and more than 15,000 people are expected to participate in the event. Sailors will enjoy memorable moments chasing the wind in the unique bays of Bodrum and its surroundings.
Maximiles Black The Bodrum Cup social media links:
Instagram: @bodrumcup
Facebook: facebook.com/BodrumCup
Twitter: @bodrumcup
Contact Person:
Dilek Özcan
The Bodrum Cup Communications Committee
dilek.ozcan@bodrumcup.com
0533 374 88 08
About The Bodrum Cup
Launched by the Era Bodrum Sailing Club, The Bodrum Cup is an international maritime festival that brings together sailors and enthusiasts from all over the world in Bodrum. By shifting the perception of tourism from sun-based to wind-based, The Bodrum Cup actively raises awareness about our bays and participates in numerous social responsibility projects. http://www.bodrumcup.com/