Abdi İbrahim Becomes Main Sponsor of National Swimmer Emre Sakcı

For 109 years, Abdi İbrahim has been operating in the pharmaceutical sector with the goal of improving lives. The company has become the main sponsor of record-breaking national swimmer Emre Sakcı, who will represent Turkey at the Tokyo Olympics in the breaststroke event. Abdi İbrahim Board Chairman Nezih Barut, who signed a four-year sponsorship agreement with Emre Sakcı, stated: "As Turkey's domestic and leading pharmaceutical company, we have decided to support our athletes who can win medals for our country by competing in international organizations, particularly the Olympics, in swimming, which is one of the Olympic sports. We were impressed by Emre Sakcı's consistent success in swimming and signed a four-year, long-term sponsorship agreement covering the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming his main sponsor. We will continue our support to ensure more of our athletes participate in the Olympics and achieve greater sporting success for our country," he said.   Abdi İbrahim, the leader of the Turkish pharmaceutical sector for 19 consecutive years, has launched an unprecedented social investment programme in the Turkish pharmaceutical industry, setting a new precedent. The programme focuses on four main areas: "Health and Sports," "Social Innovation," "Raising Scientific Awareness in Youth," and "Volunteering Projects for Community Needs," with the aim of improving the lives it touches and creating value for the country and society. As part of this programme, which is one of the most important components of Abdi İbrahim's sustainability strategy and which the company will implement from 2021 onwards with a long-term perspective, Abdi İbrahim decided to support Emre Sakcı's success journey with a long-term sponsorship agreement covering four years. Emre Sakcı began swimming at age three and was selected for the National Team at age 15. Throughout his career, Sakcı has set numerous records in national and international competitions and is currently a licensed athlete of Fenerbahçe Sports Club. The sponsorship agreement between Abdi İbrahim and the record-breaking swimmer, who will represent Turkey in the 100-metre breaststroke category at the Tokyo Olympics postponed to July 2021, was signed at Abdi İbrahim's headquarters in Maslak.  

Nezih Barut: "We are determined to clear the path for our youth and stand by them"

Abdi İbrahim Board Chairman Nezih Barut, speaking about the sponsorship agreement, drew attention to the spirit of the period we are going through and said: "The pandemic period clearly demonstrated that a nation's greatest asset is success stories written to international standards. With every step we take, we bear the responsibility of elevating our country's brand. As Turkey, we need more success stories in every field, including sports." Noting that sporting success is one of the most effective tools that contribute to a country's brand, Nezih Barut continued: "The Olympics are the strongest stage where every country can showcase itself. Being able to take the stage, competing there requires great determination and effort. We are determined to stand by our young athletes who demonstrate this determination. As Abdi İbrahim, we are taking the first step with our national swimmer Emre Sakcı and plan to continue with our successful swimmers who have passed the Olympic qualifying standard." Stating that Abdi İbrahim has been the continuous market leader in the Turkish pharmaceutical sector for 19 years, Nezih Barut said: "However, we are never satisfied with this. Aware that every success we achieve on the international arena contributes to our country's brand, we proceed on our journey to become a global and sustainable company with discipline, determination and perseverance. As Abdi İbrahim, we develop social investment programmes and strive to provide our youth with different opportunities to show them that they have the power to change our country first and then the world, and to enable them to look to the future with hope. Our greatest motivation in supporting dear Emre is that during the next four years, at the 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics and the World and European championships, Emre will carry our country's name and flag to the highest point in every lane. We take pride in supporting those who carry the same passion, courage and responsibility as us, especially our youth, who are the guarantee of our future. I am confident that starting with the Olympics to be held in July, in the coming period we will all see the fruits of Emre's steadfast and disciplined work. Just like Emre, I sincerely wish for many more young athletes to participate in the Olympics and for Emre, with the success he will achieve, to serve as a strong role model and example like the North Star," he said. Emre Sakcı expressed his happiness that Abdi İbrahim, the leader of the Turkish pharmaceutical sector, became his sponsor, saying: "Abdi İbrahim's sponsorship support is an important source of motivation for young athletes like me. Since Abdi İbrahim's management contacted me, I have had the opportunity to get to know the company's vision more closely. I saw an incredible alignment between my own sporting goals and Abdi İbrahim's objectives. This excited me greatly. I thank them for making me feel many of the meaningful values that have a place in the Olympic spirit and especially for supporting an athlete like me who aims for success on the international stage. The fact that the support spans four years has given me not only tremendous confidence and motivation but also a sense of responsibility. My only goal now is to do my best for my country in all competitions, especially the Tokyo Olympics where I will compete this year, with the support that my main sponsor Abdi İbrahim has provided. I extend my thanks to the entire Abdi İbrahim family, beginning with Chairman Nezih Barut, for believing in me, being part of my success journey and my winning spirit, and for being pioneers for 109 years."