-finish as table toppers with 145 gold medals compared to 51 of second-placed Uzbekistan
The 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games culminated in Konya, Turkey, recently. Hosts Turkey continued to dominate the competition established a massive lead over second and third placed countries. As a result, Turkey finished as table toppers with 145 gold medals compared to 51 of second- placed Uzbekistan.
The concluding ceremony was held in modest style at the Selcuk University Stadium only days after an exhilarating opening ceremony at the 42,000-SEAT Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium. An hour-long celebration was held at the location of the men’s football championship in front of the lone stand’s full of spectators. The athletes, including the excellent Turkish squad, were welcomed into the arena as flags representing all 54 of the participating nations appeared on stage.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the opening ceremony of the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games.300 medals, more than twice as many as Uzbekistan, who came in second. At the brand-new Olympic Velodrome, more than 4,000 participants competed in 19 sports, including track cycling and gymnastics.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, President of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation, praised Konya for hosting an outstanding edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games in Turkey. Mehmet Kasapolu, the Turkish Minister of Sports, presented the ISSF flag to Al-Faisal, who has yet to decide who would host the
2025 edition.
The Islamic Solidarity Games were first held in 2005, but its idea was conceived much earlier in 1981 during the Third Islamic Summit Conference convened by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or the OIC, in Mecca.
Turkey won 341 medals total, including 145 gold ones. Iran came in third with 133 total medals, including 39 gold, 44 silver, and 50 bronze. After a string of impressive performances, Uzbekistan passed Iran and
took second place with 158 medals overall, including 51 gold ones.
