Tatar meets viral Olympic shooter Dikec

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Wednesday met Yusuf Dikec, the Olympic silver medallist who went viral on social media over the summer for his nonchalant style while competing in the Paris 2024 games.

Dikec was in Cyprus as part of a visit of the Turkish Olympic Committee to the north and presented Tatar with the t-shirt he wore while competing in Paris.

Tatar said he was “satisfied” with the visit, and also informed Dikec and the rest of the Turkish delegation about the “isolations imposed” on Turkish Cypriot athletes, adding that Turkish Cypriots “attach great importance to sports despite all kinds of injustice”.

Dikec went viral on social media during this summer’s Olympic games in Paris, winning a silver medal while standing with his left hand tucked into his pocket and wearing no special equipment other than a regular pair of glasses.

In his event, the 10-metre pistol shooting, competitors normally wear high-tech equipment.

His success sparked a flurry of memes and won him a legion of fans online, with pole vault world-record holder Mondo Duplantis imitating the pose after breaking the world record in his discipline at the same games.