Çetin Topçuoğlu
Encyclopedia
Çetin Topçuoglu was a former Turkish
taekwondo
athlete.
Çetin
Topçuoglu was a Turkey and European taekwondo
champion. He also won a world championship silver medal.
He worked for the Çukurova Pamuk Yerfıstığı ve Yağlı Tohumlar Tarım Satış Kooperatifleri Birliği, Çukobirlik (English: Çukurova Cotton, Peanuts and Oil Seeds Cooperatives Association, Çukobirlik) from 1979 to 1998. He was a National Judge responsible for Adana Province
and served as a coach for Turkey's national taekwondo team.
.
, while on board the MV Mavi Marmara
, the lead ship in the flotilla, which was attempting to break Israel
's blockade of the Gaza Strip
. An autopsy revealed that he had been shot a total of three times. He died shortly afterward. He was 54 years old. His funeral service was held at the Fatih Mosque
in Istanbul on June 3, 2010.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
athlete.
Çetin
Çetin
Çetin is a common masculine Turkish given name. In Turkish, "Çetin" means "Tough", "Robust", "Strong", "Hard", and/or "Arduous".-Given name:* Çetin Alp , a Turkish pop music singer...
Topçuoglu was a Turkey and European taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
champion. He also won a world championship silver medal.
He worked for the Çukurova Pamuk Yerfıstığı ve Yağlı Tohumlar Tarım Satış Kooperatifleri Birliği, Çukobirlik (English: Çukurova Cotton, Peanuts and Oil Seeds Cooperatives Association, Çukobirlik) from 1979 to 1998. He was a National Judge responsible for Adana Province
Adana Province
Adana Province is a province of Turkey located in south-central Anatolia. With a population of 2,085,225, it is the fifth most populous province in Turkey. The administrative seat of the province is the city of Adana, home to 78% of the residents of the province...
and served as a coach for Turkey's national taekwondo team.
Family
Topçuoglu was married to Çiğdem Topçuoğlu; they had one son, Aytek. They lived in AdanaAdana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
.
Death
Topçuoglu was killed in the Gaza flotilla raidGaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
, while on board the MV Mavi Marmara
MV Mavi Marmara
MV is a Comoros-flagged passenger ship, which was formerly owned and operated by İDO Istanbul Fast Ferries Co. Inc. on the line Sarayburnu, Istanbul-Marmara Island-Avşa Island in the Sea of Marmara. Built at the Golden Gate Shipyard by Turkish Shipbuilding Co...
, the lead ship in the flotilla, which was attempting to break Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's blockade of the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. An autopsy revealed that he had been shot a total of three times. He died shortly afterward. He was 54 years old. His funeral service was held at the Fatih Mosque
Fatih Mosque
The Fatih Mosque or Conqueror's Mosque in English) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was one of the largest examples of Turkish-Islamic architecture in Istanbul and represented an important stage in the development of classic Turkish...
in Istanbul on June 3, 2010.