University of Toronto Athletics

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's water polo team is proud to announce the addition of Omer Sayli to their 2023 roster.
 
Omer Sayli, like his twin brother Ali, spent seven years playing for Galatasaray in Turkey winning Turkish Water Polo League championships each year. With Galatasaray, he participated in many international camps and tournaments including four in Serbia, two in Croatia, one in Greece and one in Montenegro. He twice trained in Belgrade with the famous Partizan club for a month each time and spent another month training in Dubrovnik with the JUG club.

Omer served as a member of the Turkish National Water Polo team from 2018 to 2021 and served as the captain of the team for two consecutive years. While on the national team, he was named captain for the European Championship in Bulgaria in 2019. That same year, he won the Galatasaray Water Polo Athlete of the Year Award and was named MVP at the Turkish national championships.
 
Omer also joined the Mavericks club after moving to Toronto.
 
“The Blues men’s squad has been without a left handed player for several years and getting Omer to U of T will definitely help fill that void,” stated Consultant Coach, George Gross, Jr. “He is a powerful player in the water who can score inside as well as from distance.”
 
Outside the pool, Omer completed the University of Toronto Summer Psychology Research Initiative Program in 2022. In 2019, he received the TED Istanbul College P.E. Award and also helped students learn English in Istanbul. 
 
“The University of Toronto was my number one choice since the institution gives students the opportunities and resources to pursue their dreams in academics and sports, “ said a excited Sayli. “It is one of the best Universities in the world to pursue academic study and play water polo at a high level. At U of T, I am looking to make myself a better person and grow by using all of the resources that the University provides. More specifically I am looking for a world-class education in Life sciences studies and a high level of athletics”.  
 
Omer plans to major in Cell and Molecular Biology and is affiliated with New College.