An investigation of the specific English language needs of Turkish national athletes

The present research is to evaluate the specific English language needs of Turkish national athletes training for the Olympics and voluntarily enrolling in a Sports English course funded by the government and a private association. To examine this goal, a qualitative case study using a descriptive research technique was performed. As a result, three distinct groups of participants were interviewed: six Turkish national athletes, four coaches, and five English instructors. Volunteers were asked semi- structured interview questions on the English language needs of Turkish national athletes. On the basis of the replies from all three participant groups, special English language needs of Turkish national athletes have been determined. Course designers and material designers, as well as English language teachers and ELT professionals would benefit from this research in terms of designing a Sports English course to support Turkish national athletes in enhancing their English language skills. According to the study's findings, the two language abilities required for Turkish national athletes are listening and speaking. Furthermore, Turkish national athletes struggle the most with listening and speaking skills. "Saving time to do more training," "representing their country in the Olympics," and "playing in a foreign country and communicating with other coaches" are the top three reasons for Turkish national athletes to learn English.