Olympic skier Berkin Usta, 24, and his father die in hotel fire in Turkey
Usta, 24, and his father – who was the president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association and a former national skier – had been staying at the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludağ, Bursa.
'I learned with deep sorrow the news that our national athlete Berkin Usta, who represented Turkey at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and his father, former national athlete Yahya Usta, passed away in a fire that broke out in Bursa,' Osman Aşkın Bak said on X.
'May God have mercy on our athletes and I offer my condolences to their families, loved ones and the entire sports community. May their resting place be heaven.'
According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, 110 rescue personnel were sent to attend to the blaze after it broke out. The manager of the hotel has since been detained, according to Anadolu.
CNN has reached out to the hotel manager, the Kervansaray Hotel, Bursa police and the Bursa Governor's office for comment.
Berkin Usta's mother, who was also staying at the hotel, survived and was taken to hospital, according to Anadolu Agency.
The Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's office told Anadolu Agency that the hotel manager had a barbecue with the Usta family in the cafeteria area behind the hotel the evening before the fire and then left the hotel.
'We have learned about the tragic death of Turkish Olympic skier Berkin Usta, and his father, in a terrible fire,' International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said in a statement on X. 'Berkin lived his Olympic dream by competing at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 in Alpine skiing. Our thoughts are with their family and friends.'
Usta had represented Turkey at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, finishing 43rd in the giant slalom and failing to finish in the slalom.
Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey told reporters that an initial investigation into the fire found that there were 'many deficiencies' at the hotel and that it did 'not comply with the fire regulations.'
CNN has reached out to Jura Hotels, the owner of the Kervansaray Hotel, for comment on the Bursa mayor's statements.
The Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office told Anadolu Agency that an investigation was ongoing and the cause of the fire was yet to be determined.
CNN has reached out to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for comment.
'We have learned with deep sorrow that our national skier Berkin Usta, who represented our country at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the Erzurum 2017 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, and his father, former national skier Yahya Usta, passed away due to a hotel fire in Uludağ, Bursa,' the Turkish Olympic team said on X.
'We wish God's mercy to our national skier Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta, and offer our condolences to his family, loved ones and the sports community.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
There's a $1 million prize and big names for 2025 US Open mixed doubles. So why are some people upset?
Grand Slam singles champions such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys will be playing for a little extra money — OK, a lot of extra money, by any standard: $1 million to the winning duo — and trying to get their hands on a trophy in the U.S. Open's overhauled mixed doubles tournament. The best of the best at doubles, meanwhile, are not so excited about what one of last year's mixed champions in New York, Sara Errani, labeled 'sad' and 'nonsense' in an interview with The Associated Press. She and Andrea Vavassori, who'll be defending their title, are the only true doubles team competing Tuesday and Wednesday at Flushing Meadows. A year ago, only two highly ranked singles players participated. 'It would be like if, at the Olympics, they didn't let the actual high jumpers participate, and instead had basketball players compete in the high jump because it's more 'interesting.' If you want to do that, I guess you can, but you can't award them medals,' Errani said. 'You can't have a Grand Slam doubles (trophy) and not let doubles players take part. … You're excluding them from their sport. It's dishonest.' The top seeds, based on their combined singles rankings, are Jessica Pegula, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up, and Jack Draper, a semifinalist a year ago. He's onto his third partner after Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and former No. 2 Paula Badosa withdrew with injuries. Their initial opponents might be the most-anticipated pairing: five-time Slam champ Alcaraz and 2021 U.S. Open winner Emma Raducanu. Other teams include Sinner and 10-time major doubles champion Katerina Siniakova, Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Keys and Frances Tiafoe, Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka, Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina, Naomi Osaka and Gael Monfils, Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic, and Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva. 'It's going to count as a real Grand Slam. The prize money is great,' said Fritz, the runner-up to Sinner in singles at Flushing Meadows a year ago. 'We are 100% there to try to win it.' Said Tiafoe: 'Seeing the prize money, everyone was like, 'We're going, no matter what.'' What's different? Put plainly: everything. That includes the top prize of $1 million a year after Errani and Vavassori split $200,000. Even the rules are changing, with sets played to four games instead of six until Wednesday's final, no-Ad scoring, and match tiebreakers instead of a third set. There are 16 teams instead of 32. The matches were shifted from the latter stages of the U.S. Open, overlapping with singles, to before next Sunday's start of the main singles brackets. Half the field is based on singles rankings, and the other half was simply chosen by the U.S. Tennis Association. That's how the singles stars got involved. It's also why some say the whole thing is a bit silly. Gaby Dabrowski, a Canadian who owns two major championships in mixed doubles and earned the women's doubles trophy at the 2023 U.S. Open, tried to get into the field with Felix Auger-Aliassime, but they were not among the USTA's wild-card selections. 'Do I think it's a true mixed doubles championship? No. Do I think it could help the sport of doubles in the end? It could,' Dabrowski said, 'but not if you can't have any doubles players play in it.' Like Errani or Dabrowski, doubles players aren't thrilled about being excluded and losing out on a payday. They also think it's generally demeaning to doubles specialists — even if the USTA thinks this can help boost the popularity of doubles. 'When you get the biggest names playing doubles, it does bring a bit more attention to it,' said Joe Salisbury, a British player who's won two Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles and four in men's doubles, 'but I'm not sure it's good for the doubles event, because it's not really a proper event. It's just a two-day exhibition.' Tournament director Stacey Allaster objects to that sort of characterization. 'Let's be absolutely crystal clear: This is a Grand Slam championship. It is not an exhibition,' Allaster said. 'We're sympathetic to the doubles specialists who don't like this change. … (But) we know that when fans see top players competing … this is going to inspire more fans to not only attend but to play tennis, and it's ultimately going to grow the sport.'
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
What's next for Livvy Dunne? The former LSU gymnast plans acting career
Former collegiate gymnast turned actor Livvy Dunne is just like us. Dunne "of course" tuned into Taylor Swift's record-breaking appearance on the "New Heights" podcast alongside Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce on Aug. 13. And Dunne can relate to Swift, in that the two of them have captured a lot of attention during their respective careers. "I can't believe that I can even say I have something in common with Taylor's Swift," Dunne told USA TODAY Sports ahead of the release of her Fanatics Sportsbook commercials. "We're in a similar boat where we do have new eyes on us because of a new sports fan base." After finishing her eligibility at LSU last spring, Dunne is working on what's next. A self-described sports "fanatic," she said she'll "always be an athlete at heart." Whether she's cheering on her Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher boyfriend Paul Skenes or keeping up with the U.S. national gymnastics team, Dunne isn't too far removed from the game. And although she's no longer showcasing her leaps and tumbling passes at LSU, she's still performing. "To be able to be in the Rose Bowl, first of all is iconic, but it's not every day you get to be in a bathtub on the 50-yard line shooting a commercial," Dunne said of her upcoming commercials with Fanatics Sportsbook. "I've always loved performing, whether it's on the floor exercise or choreographing a routine. I feel like it's kind of a natural transition for me into performing and acting on camera." USA TODAY Sports caught up with Dunne in a wide-ranging interview that touched her admiration for Taylor Swift, mentorship of budding Olympic gymnast Hezly Rivera and upcoming campaign with Fantatics. Livvy Dunne relates to Taylor Swift: 'I admire her' Dunne was one of the 1.3 million viewers tuned into Swift's highly-anticipated debut on "New Heights." Swift has brought a legion of fans to the NFL, but some sports fans have taken offense to how much attention the Grammy award-winning musician's presence receives on the sidelines of Kansas City Chiefs games. Dunne said Swift's experience "really resonated" with her. "She's a football fan and supporting her boyfriend that's a professional athlete, and I'm supporting my boyfriend that's a professional athlete," Dunne said. "That's something we also have in common is the criticism that can come along with that. And I think she handles it with such grace." Being the partner of a professional athlete can be challenging. Dunne recently posted a social media video showing her various accounts being inundated with Skenes memes and GIFs. Despite the backlash, Dunne said it's been "really cool to navigate through it and learn and be a big baseball fan," noting that she'll take inspiration from Swift's approach to football critics. "I admire (Swift) in so many different ways and how she handles the criticism with such grace and how she has her own success alongside her professional athlete partner," Dunne said. Livvy Dunne hosted LSU gymnastics recruit Hezly Rivera American gymnast Hezly Rivera — who won a gold medal with the U.S. women's national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, in addition to the all-around title at the 2025 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships — announced she'll join LSU gymnastics after graduating high school in 2026. Dunne was competing with the Tigers when Rivera came to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for her official visit. "I actually was there on (Rivera's) recruiting trip. I was still a gymnast at LSU and actually the gymnasts are a huge part of the recruiting trip," recalled Dunne. "That's why I went to LSU to begin with because the team dynamic was just amazing. It was better than any other school I visited" Dunne, 22, recalled training alongside Rivera, 17, in their home state of New Jersey when Rivera was 8 years old. Dunne said she remembered Rivera being a "phenomenal gymnast" then, just as she is now. "My biggest advice to Hezly would just authentically be herself and that's why LSU recruited her," Dunne said. "What makes LSU so special, yes, it is the fan base. Yes, it is the amazing competitive atmosphere being a student athlete there, but the diversity and how different every individual is on LSU's team is so special. And that's what made us win the 2024 national championship. I think that diversity and the adversity we went through as individuals. So I would say be true to herself." Fanatics rented out Rose Bowl for Livvy Dunne commercial Livvy Dunne's next act starts now. Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin is "either all or nothing," Dunne said. That mindset carried over in the making of her commercials with Fanatics Sportsbook as the sports platform rented out the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to shoot three cinematic ads titled, 'Explained by Livvy Dunne." One of the ads features Dunne sitting in a clawfoot bathtub on the 50-yard line, channeling Margot Robbie in the 2015 film "The Big Short." Another ad shows her snacking on a turkey leg in the stands. "I knew that this would be a perfect stepping stone into the onscreen acting career that I love and I want to pursue," Dunne added. "This was one of the first commercials and onscreen productions I've done that was that big and where I had to remember a script and honestly, it was so authentic... It was really just a match made in heaven. It was so creative and the production was so cinematic, and I'm so excited for everybody to see the commercial." The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
There's a $1 million prize and big names for 2025 US Open mixed doubles. Why are some people upset?
Grand Slam singles champions such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys will be playing for a little extra money — OK, a lot of extra money, by any standard: $1 million to the winning duo — and trying to get their hands on a trophy in the U.S. Open's overhauled mixed doubles tournament. The best of the best at doubles, meanwhile, are not so excited about what one of last year's mixed champions in New York, Sara Errani, labeled 'sad' and "nonsense' in an interview with The Associated Press. She and Andrea Vavassori, who'll be defending their title, are the only true doubles team competing Tuesday and Wednesday at Flushing Meadows. A year ago, only two highly ranked singles players participated. 'It would be like if, at the Olympics, they didn't let the actual high jumpers participate, and instead had basketball players compete in the high jump because it's more 'interesting.' If you want to do that, I guess you can, but you can't award them medals," Errani said. "You can't have a Grand Slam doubles (trophy) and not let doubles players take part. ... You're excluding them from their sport. It's dishonest.' Who is playing in the 2025 U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament? The top seeds, based on their combined singles rankings, are Jessica Pegula, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up, and Jack Draper, a semifinalist a year ago. He's onto his third partner after Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and former No. 2 Paula Badosa withdrew with injuries. Their initial opponents might be the most-anticipated pairing: five-time Slam champ Alcaraz and 2021 U.S. Open winner Emma Raducanu. Other teams include Sinner and 10-time major doubles champion Katerina Siniakova, Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Keys and Frances Tiafoe, Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka, Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina, Naomi Osaka and Gael Monfils, Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic, and Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva. 'It's going to count as a real Grand Slam. The prize money is great,' said Fritz, the runner-up to Sinner in singles at Flushing Meadows a year ago. 'We are 100% there to try to win it.' Said Tiafoe: 'Seeing the prize money, everyone was like, 'We're going, no matter what.'' What is different about mixed doubles at the U.S. Open? What's different? Put plainly: everything. That includes the top prize of $1 million a year after Errani and Vavassori split $200,000. Even the rules are changing, with sets played to four games instead of six until Wednesday's final, no-Ad scoring, and match tiebreakers instead of a third set. There are 16 teams instead of 32. The matches were shifted from the latter stages of the U.S. Open, overlapping with singles, to before next Sunday's start of the main singles brackets. Half the field is based on singles rankings, and the other half was simply chosen by the U.S. Tennis Association. That's how the singles stars got involved. It's also why some say the whole thing is a bit silly. Gaby Dabrowski, a Canadian who owns two major championships in mixed doubles and earned the women's doubles trophy at the 2023 U.S. Open, tried to get into the field with Felix Auger-Aliassime, but they were not among the USTA's wild-card selections. 'Do I think it's a true mixed doubles championship? No. Do I think it could help the sport of doubles in the end? It could,' Dabrowski said, 'but not if you can't have any doubles players play in it.' Why are some players upset about the U.S. Open mixed doubles changes? Like Errani or Dabrowski, doubles players aren't thrilled about being excluded and losing out on a payday. They also think it's generally demeaning to doubles specialists — even if the USTA thinks this can help boost the popularity of doubles. 'When you get the biggest names playing doubles, it does bring a bit more attention to it,' said Joe Salisbury, a British player who's won two Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles and four in men's doubles, 'but I'm not sure it's good for the doubles event, because it's not really a proper event. It's just a two-day exhibition.' Tournament director Stacey Allaster objects to that sort of characterization. 'Let's be absolutely crystal clear: This is a Grand Slam championship. It is not an exhibition,' Allaster said. 'We're sympathetic to the doubles specialists who don't like this change. ... (But) we know that when fans see top players competing ... this is going to inspire more fans to not only attend but to play tennis, and it's ultimately going to grow the sport.'
