Sadi Gülçelik

Sadi Gülçelik — Biography

Sadi Gülçelik was born on 22 October 1930 in Istanbul and graduated as a civil engineer from Istanbul Technical University before becoming a prominent businessman and athlete. In 1957 he co-founded the construction company ENKA together with his brother-in-law Şarık Tara; the company's name was formed from the initials of the Turkish kinship terms describing their relationship.

Standing 1.89 m tall, Gülçelik played volleyball for Galatasaray and basketball for the club's team nicknamed the "Invincible Armada," and also played for Karagücü and Modaspor. He represented Turkey's national basketball team at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, scoring a total of 206 points in the tournament.

On 19 August 1980, Gülçelik was among the 301 passengers killed when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight caught fire after landing in Riyadh. In his memory, his family established the Enka Sadi Gülçelik Sports Complex in 1983.