HYDERABAD: Former Turkish volleyball player Basak Koc is a proud voice behind female sports commentary across the globe. She was the first and only woman announcer of the Olympic Games since 2008.
She, who adds value to the sports industry in volleyball, cycling, athletics, mountain biking, beach volleyball, triathlon and swimming, is in Hyderabad for the first time. CE caught up with her for a quick conversation about volleyball in India, the importance of more women commentators, the need to be successful and more.
Basak is currently busy doing a great job as a sports presenter for the ongoing Prime Volleyball League in the city. She says she loves Hyderabad already, even though she hadn’t explored a lot of the city, thanks to being restricted by a bio-bubble. “I can’t wait to get out into the city soon, and hope to tour other places across India too. People here have been nothing but loving and extremely hospitable.”
On her journey to being where she stands today, Basak says, “It was a long but sweet one, I grew up loving and living by sports. My father was a basketball player and my uncle played football for the country. It so happened that since I was the tallest in class teachers asked me to be part of a volleyball team and tennis. I stuck to the former and there has been no stopping since. I was part of a great club in Turkey and believe it's important to start at the right place. After more than two decades into sports, I'm also a commentator, a master of ceremonies and a newscaster!”
On being the first and only female commentator at the Olympics in 2008, she says, “Years into the sport, I realised that it was mostly only men working on the sports ecosystem. I realised that more women needed to be there, on and off the field, and I decided to be the voice behind that both literally and figuratively. We asked the organisers of the Beijing Olympics, they loved the idea of having me, and the rest is history.”
Basak’s commentary is different in that she just doesn't report mere action or react to a game. She says. “I choose a storytelling format when I’m behind the mic. People need to know more than just about a game that they're already watching."
Asked if she'd soon enjoy tutoring and training aspiring volleyball players, commentators, and commentators, she says, "That has not been on my mind yet, but why not. However, I want to be able to teach more than just that I want to impact people to push harder to pursue success-nothing can be more important."
On a concluding note, she says, "Every day is a new day, if you're alive you have to run faster than a gazelle to feed yourself. Being a go-getter is what makes successful people."