CIU Ranks Among the Top 10 in Search and Rescue Games

Students from the School of Physical Education and Sports at Cyprus International University (CIU) represented the university at the USAR Games 2026 Inter-University Search and Rescue Games, organized under the coordination of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Civil Defense Organization. Following a four-day training camp, the CIU team competed in the event and became the 7th among 22 participating universities.

The event was also attended by Asst. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şükrü Rona, faculty member of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching; Dr. Ömer Bozkurt, Director of Sports Affairs; and Nidai Kordal, Dean of Students. The eight-member CIU team consisted of Physical Education and Sports Teaching students Emre Bulut, Abdulkadir Karadağ, Zeynep Karataş, Mustafa Vurucu, Kasım Ereş, Dilara Koçatlı, Murat Güneş, and Kemal Gökkaya.

The competition brought together 176 students from 22 universities across the TRNC and Türkiye, who demonstrated their search and rescue knowledge and practical skills through a series of challenging courses. The events included obstacle crossing, wooden bridge construction and casualty transport, high-line rescue and casualty evacuation, concrete block dragging, victim rescue from beneath debris and first aid, collapsed structure intervention and first aid, as well as clean working techniques and first aid. Before the competition, participants attended a four-day practical training camp focused on disaster response and emergency management.

Designed to strengthen practical search and rescue skills while enhancing teamwork and coordination, USAR Games 2026 provided students from different universities with a shared platform to apply their knowledge and abilities in realistic disaster and emergency scenarios. The CIU team concluded the competition in 7th place, achieving a notable success.