Selim Sırrı Tarcan
| Selim Sırrı Tarcan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | March 24, 1874 Larissa, Thessaly, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | March 2, 1957 (aged 82) Istanbul, Turkey |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Alma mater | Istanbul Technical University, Galatasaray High School |
| Occupation | Educator, sports official, politician |
| Political party | Republican People's Party |
| Board member of | International Olympic Committee, National Olympic Committee of Turkey |
Selim Sırrı Tarcan (March 24, 1874 – March 2, 1957) was a Turkish educator, sports official and politician. He is best remembered for his contribution to the establishment of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey and the introduction of volleyball sport in Turkey.
He was born on March 24, 1874 at Larissa (Ottoman Turkish: Yenişehir-i Fener) in Thessaly (then in the Ottoman Empire) to Colonel (Ottoman Turkish: Miralay) Yusuf Bey and Zeynep Hanım. He was only two years of age when his father was killed in action as he was defending the fort of Bileća during the Battle of Vučji Do in 1876.
As he was five years old, his mother moved with him and his two older sisters to Istanbul, where his uncle from his mother's side was a military staff officer. After his uncle Rıfat Pasha was exiled to Fezzan in Ottoman Tripolitania due to opposition to the Sultan Abdul Hamid II (reigned 1876–1909), her mother registered Selim Sırrı in 1882 as a boarding pupil at the private Galatasaray High School. He was educated eight years in the French language school. Because of financial problems, he had to transfer in 1890 to the no-fee boarding school of "Mühendishane-i Berrî-i Hümâyûn" (literally: Royal Technical School of Naval Engineering), which developed later to Istanbul Technical University.
In his unpublished memoirs, he describes himself as someone, who was highly interested in physical education all the time during his youth. To this activity, he was incited by Ali Faik Bey (Üstünidman), his instructor at Galatasaray High School. During his school years, he was the most successful pupil in physical education. He was awarded for his gymnastics skills much to disappointment of his mother, who wished he better was successful in his regular lessons. Selim Sırrı performed gymnastics and bodybuilding also on weekends at home along with some friends in order to achieve a better physique.
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