Burhan Felek (May 11, 1889 in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

– November 4, 1982 in Istanbul) was a Turkish journalist, columnist,

sportsperson An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professional sports, professionals or amateur sports, amateurs. Most professional a ...

and writer. He was born on May 11, 1889, in Istanbul. After graduating in 1910 from Istanbul Law School, later the Faculty of Law at Istanbul University, he worked as a legal consultant at the

Ministry of Commerce A Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...

, a high school teacher, and an independent lawyer. Burhan Felek died on November 4, 1982, at the age of 93 in Istanbul. He was buried in the

Karacaahmet Cemetery The Karacaahmet Cemetery ( tr, Karacaahmet Mezarlığı) is a 700-year-old historic cemetery, located in Üsküdar, the Asian side of Istanbul. Karacaahmet cemetery is the oldest and largest in Istanbul at , and the largest burial ground in Turkey ...

Sportsperson

During his youth years, Burhan Felek practiced sports including wrestling, athletics and football. He took part in

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

middle distance running Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

events and played football. In 1907, he co-founded the Üsküdar Anadolu Sports Club. After retiring from active sports, he continued to involve in national and international sports activities. SHe served as a football referee, and was among the founders of the

Balkan Games The Balkan Athletics Championships or Balkan Games () is a regional athletics competition held between nations from the Balkans and organized by Balkan Athletics. The first games were held in Athens in 1929, and the most recent were being held in ...

and Mediterranean Games. He served from 1938 to 1952 as the secretary general of the

Turkish Olympic Committee Turkish National Olympic Committee (TNOC) ( tr, Türkiye Milli Olimpiyat Komitesi (TMOK)) is the governing Olympic body of Turkey. It is based in Istanbul. History As one of the oldest National Olympic Committees in the world, TNOC was founded o ...

, and between 1960 and 1964 and then between 1965 and 1982 as its president. In 1922 he founded, with

Ali Sami Yen Ali Sami Yen, born Ali Sami Frashëri (20 May 1886 – 29 July 1951) was an Albanian-Turkish sports official best known as the founder of the Galatasaray Sports Club. After the enactment of law on family names in 1934, he took the surname Yen, ...

and Yusuf Ziya Öniş, Turkish Athletic Federation (Türkiye İdman Cemiyetleri İttifakı). He served until 1936 as the president of the federation.

Journalist

Burhan Felek's journalism career started in 1909 as an amateur by writing in the periodical "''İdman''" (Athletics). His professional career began the next year when he wrote for the periodical "Donanma" (The Navy). He worked in 1918 as a sports editor and photo reporter at the daily ''Tasvir-i Efkar''. After writing a column and humorous stories at various publications such as ''

Tan Tan or TAN may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English or British people in general, es ...

'' ''Vakit'', ''Vatan'', ''Yeni Ses'', ''Alemdar'' and ''Tetebbu'', he continued to write at ''

Cumhuriyet ''Cumhuriyet'' (; English: " Republic") is the oldest up-market Turkish daily newspaper. It has been described as "the most important independent public interest newspaper in contemporary Turkey". The newspaper was awarded the ''Freedom of Pr ...

'' 29-years long. On September 1, 1969, Burhan Felek transferred to '' Milliyet'', where he wtote until his death in 1982. He wrote a humor column, "''Recebin Kahvesi''" (Recep's Café), published on Sundays. He served for 26 years as the president of the "Association of Journalists in Istanbul" (İstanbul Gazeteciler Cemiyeti), the forerunner of the Association of Turkish Journalists (TGC). His last column was published in ''Millyet'' on November 5, 1982, the day following his death.

Recognition

For his contribution to the Olympic Movement, he received the certificate " Diplome de Merite Olimpic" from the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

. In 1974 Burhan Felek was awarded with the honorific title "Şeyh-ül Muharririn" (Leader of the journalists). The "Association of Turkish Journalists" (TGC) awards every year "Burhan Felek Prize" to honor journalists for their distinguished service. On May 8, 1980, he received an

honorary Doctor An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

degree from Istanbul University. The French government awarded him posthumously with the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. A sports complex comprising indoor arenas and swimming pools, situated in Altunizade neighborhood of Üsküdar district in Istanbul, is named Burhan Felek Sports Complex. A street In

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from "old" and "city") is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 898,369 with a metropolitan population of 797,708. The city is located on the banks of the ...

and Mersin is named after him.

Bibliography

* ''Hint Masalları'' (travel notes,1944) * ''Felek'' (1947) * ''Vatandaş Efendi'' (humorous story, 1957) * ''Eski İstanbul Hikâyeleri'' (1971) * ''Yaşadığımız Günler'' (1974) * ''Nasrettin Hoca'' (1982)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felek, Burhan 1889 births 1982 deaths Writers from Istanbul Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni 20th-century Turkish lawyers Turkish sports journalists Turkish columnists Turkish humorists Turkish male writers Cumhuriyet people Milliyet people Turkish referees and umpires Burials at Karacaahmet Cemetery Prisoners and detainees of Turkey