Former national volleyball player, Başak Koç of Turkey, is pleased with journey she took to be the ‘voice of sports.’
The first female announcer from Turkey for the Olympic Games, World and European championships, Koç commentates on volleyball, cycling, athletics, mountain biking, beach volleyball, triathlon and aquatics. A graduate from Istanbul Bilgi University, Department of Television Journalism in English, Koç is now excited ahead of the Rupay Prime Volleyball League starting here from Saturday.
Koç feels that the PVL will create its own impact which could well be a very important step in the promotion of volleyball in India.
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“From my side as a ex-national volleyball player and from 2008 media personality, it will be an amazing experience. I tried to be a pioneer as the first female commentator in Turkey. Thank you all for having me here,” the 40-year-old former international said in a chat with Sportstar .
“This is my first visit to India and I hope to go back with great memories of this great country. Everyone is so friendly and helpful here,” she said.
‘All about working hard’
“Well, it was never easy to be in the sports media where mostly men are active. So, I wanted to make our (women) presence felt. Not easy for sure. But, I achieved and showed that being a man or a woman doesn’t matter much as it is all about working hard and [doing] a good job,” Koç said.
“It is all about having good knowledge of the subject and how well you communicate. That along with objectivity is the key. I keep constantly talking about competitors in sports. I just have to share what is on the court with the audience in an impartial way,” she said.
“I am glad that back home in Turkey female athletes’ number is increasing. Our women’s national volleyball team is in the top five of the world. We have a terrific system to support women’s sports too,” Koç said, hoping many women will look beyond their sporting career.
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