The Turkey participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin in part with a delegation of 49 athletes. They took part in 26 disciplines in seven sports.
Halet Çambel, together with Suat Aşani, the first Turkish woman and the first Muslim woman to take part in the Olympic Games.
From a sport-historical point of view, the fifth participation of Turkey on several levels was a specialty. For the first time two women were sent: the fencers Suat Aşani and Halet Çambel . They were also the first Muslim women to ever take part in an Olympiad. Both refused to meet with Adolf Hitler .
The Turkish Olympic team was able to win medals for the first time after the wrestler Tayyar Yalaz took fourth place in the lightweight Greco-Roman style at the 1928 Summer Olympics and thus achieved the highest rating to date. Yaşar Erkan won the first gold medal in the Greco-Roman style featherweight wrestling, Ahmet Kireççi the first bronze medal in the freestyle (middleweight).
Other notable successes: the cyclist Talat Tunçalp finished seventh in the road race. The show jumper Cevat Kula achieved 6th place in the individual ranking on his horse Sapkin.