Turkish karateka Samdan wins gold in Mediterranean Games

Turkish karateka Eray Samdan won a gold medal on the first day of the Mediterranean Games on Sunday.

Samdan, 24, claimed a 5-0 victory against Algeria's Ala Salmi at the men's Kumite 60-kg event in the coastal city of Oran, Algeria.

In the women's 55-kg Kumite, another Turkish athlete, Tuba Yakan, claimed a bronze medal after defeating Ariannne Miles Gonzales of the Greek Cypriot administration earlier in the day.

Nearly 3,400 athletes from 26 countries are competing in a total of 24 branches at the Oran Olympic Stadium in Algeria.

Participating in the Mediterranean Games with 321 athletes, Türkiye are sporting the third-largest group in the competition, following Italy with 371, and hosts Algeria with 324.

The Mediterranean Games, a multisport event organized by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM), is held every four years among countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia, and Europe.