By Anadolu Agency
April 5, 2026 11:48 amANTALYA
The final declaration of 8th Ethnosport Forum on Sunday highlighted the vision of Ethnosports 2027, seen as the Olympics of traditional sports worldwide.
With the participation of government ministers, federation representatives, academics, and the sports community from around the world, the forum in the Turkish Riviera city of Antalya concluded on Sunday.
The forum ended “with the objective of reviving, preserving, and carrying traditional sports to their rightful position in the international arena,” said the final declaration of the forum.
Participants invited international institutions, states, local governments, and the private sector to cooperate in implementing the decisions included in this declaration and to help keep traditional sports “alive as a universal value.”
“The Ethnosports 2027 vision will go down in history as a global legacy, based on the cultural diversity of humanity, building the peaceful and unifying world of the future with the strength it draws from the past,” it said.
“The Ethnosport Forum, which began as a meeting platform, has evolved into a strong global family united around a shared consciousness of heritage,” it said.
‘Core values and the call for peace’
The participating parties at the forum declared their mutual agreement.
“The core values of the World Ethnosport Union – peace, solidarity, respect, and tradition – are more vital than ever in the times of crisis our world is currently navigating,” the declaration said.
“A world order where children whose homes are bombed in Gaza are forced to turn their funeral rites into games, and where children in Iran hear the sounds of missiles instead of school bells, is unacceptable,” it said.
“While the World Ethnosport Union aims to create an umbrella where every culture and language finds its place, it has been resolutely emphasized that the common language of this platform must be peace. Traditional sports must assume a key role in the construction of peace, fostering intercultural dialogue rather than remaining in the shadow of conflicts on a global scale,” it added.
‘Global stage for traditional sports’
As a key outcome of the forum, the vision for next year’s Ethnosports 2027, which is expected to shape the future of traditional sports, was announced to the global public.
“Ethnosports 2027 is not merely a sports event or a local festival; it is a new and holistic ‘global stage’ built on four main pillars: Sports, culture, experience, and diplomacy,” said the declaration.
The two-day event brought together more than 100 high-level state officials, including over 15 sports and culture ministers, alongside international delegations, representatives from World Ethnosport Union member federations, academics, and traditional sports athletes from 29 countries.
Serving as the global communication partner, Anadolu supported the forum, which focused on strategic issues related to sustainability in ethnosports.
The forum focused on sustainability in ethnosports and strengthening international cooperation, emphasizing values such as tradition, solidarity, respect, and peace.
The forum drew representatives from 50 institutional members across 29 countries affiliated with the World Ethnosport Union, along with government officials, federation representatives, academics, and researchers.
Organizers said the forum’s sessions and discussions helped shape the future of traditional sports and served as a starting point for preparations for Ethnosports 2027.
A key topic was the planned 2027 event, with experts set to assess its vision, organizational structure, international participation strategies, sponsorship models, and media planning.
Ethnosports 2027 is a massive global sporting event designed to bring traditional athletes from across the world together on a single competitive platform. This visionary project seeks to institutionalize traditional sports and games according to international standards, establishing them as a global brand.
During the forum, all operational processes from the preparation phase to implementation strategies were discussed in detail.
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