Veteran journalist Kıvanç dies at 97

Famous veteran Turkish journalist Halit Kıvanç died at the age of 97 on Oct. 25.

The death of Kıvanç, one of the country's most well-known sports commentators, was announced by his son Ümit Kıvanç in a Twitter post. "The funeral will be held in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery on Oct. 27," he said.

Having worked as a writer and manager for various dailies and magazines, as Milliyet, Hürriyet, İstanbul Ekspres, Tercüman and Güneş, Kıvanç started to give voice to unforgettable matches after he started working as a radio announcer.

Kıvanç, who moved to TV in the following years, also hosted various programs and competitions.

Born in 1925, he graduated from Istanbul University's Faculty of Law and served as a judge in the eastern province of Batman's Kozluk district for three months.

In 1953, he published Türkiye's first sports daily, Türkiye Spor, together with Alp Zirek and Halit Talayer.

Having made significant contributions to the development of radio and TV broadcasting in Türkiye, Kıvanç accomplished many firsts in Turkish broadcasting's history.

In 1952, he was sent to Italy by Türkiye Ekspres to interview four Turkish footballers (Bülent Eken, Bülent Esen, Şükrü Gülesin, Lefter Küçükandonyadis), who played in Italian clubs.

He took this opportunity and visited the Pope in the Vatican, becoming the first ever Turkish journalist to be admitted.

At a contest during the World Humorists Conference held in the U.S., he came in third.

Due to late application, he did not receive a speaker's booth at Wembley Stadium for broadcasting of the football game between England and Germany at the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final. He commented on the match, which lasted two-and-half-hours with overtime, on radio in Türkiye by...