Halit Kıvanç

Halit Kıvanç — Biography

Halit Kıvanç was a Turkish broadcaster, journalist, humorist and writer born on 18 February 1925 in the Fatih district of Istanbul. After studying at Pertevniyal High School he graduated from the Faculty of Law at Istanbul University, having already published pieces in the humor magazine Akbaba and the sports weekly Şut as a student. He briefly served as a judge in the southeastern district of Kozluk before returning to Istanbul to pursue journalism. In 1953 he helped launch Türkiye Spor, the country's first daily sports newspaper, and later held senior writing and editorial posts at papers including Milliyet, Tercüman, Hürriyet and Güneş.

Kıvanç began radio presenting in 1955 and took up sports commentary in 1956 by covering the Fenerbahçe–Dinamo Moscow friendly in Moscow. He went on to call Olympic Games and numerous major international competitions, becoming the first Turkish commentator to broadcast a FIFA World Cup on television, and he was the first journalist to interview the 17-year-old Pelé at the 1958 World Cup. For years he hosted TRT's annual Children's Festival on 23 April, becoming its emblematic voice. He spent nearly a year with the BBC in 1963, translated comics such as Asterix into Turkish in the 1970s and retired from match commentary in 1983. A devoted Fenerbahçe supporter and member of the club's high council, he authored books including Futbol! Bir Aşk... (2004) and Telesafir. He died in Istanbul on 25 October 2022, aged 97.