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Red Bull Flight Day returns to Istanbul's Caddebostan Beach on Sunday for the first time in four years, with 30 teams competing under this year's theme, "Free Flight," the company announced.
Teams selected from around 8,000 applications will attempt to fly over the sea by launching from a ramp with human-powered flying machines of their own design. For the teams, how they fly will matter as much as how far they fly from the ramp.
The jury will evaluate the teams based on the creativity of their flying machines' design, their team performance on the ramp, and their flight distance.
In addition to the flying machines the teams have worked on for months, their costumes, concepts and stage shows will also be decisive in determining the competition's outcome.
The event's jury panel will include athletes Toprak Razgatlioglu, Deniz Oncu, Bahattin Sofuoglu, Kubra Dagli, Bora Altintas, Ferit Karakaya, Ege Arseven and Yunus Emre Gultekin, along with content creators Ahsen Bucek, Ayse Alolo, Enis Kirazoglu, Efe Uygac, Koray Koc and Eray Can Ozkenar, as well as kite surfing athlete Yucel Paralik and professional downhill cyclist Burak Uzun.
University students make up 60% of the teams competing in the event. The 30 teams will present their designs to the jury, drawing inspiration from a range of ideas spanning popular culture to everyday life.
The event, to be hosted by Melis Isiten and Hayrettin, will open with a concert by the music group Radikal. Throughout the day, as races and shows continue, rapper Yung Ouzo will also take the stage.
In addition to the competitors' handmade flying machines, audiences will also see performances by Red Bull athletes. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Deniz Oncu and Bahattin Sofuoglu will perform shows on Caddebostan Beach, while Issa Kalfon will appear with a "Jet Suit" show. The event, which will be broadcast live on Red Bull TV, will be commentated by Erman Yasar and Can Onduygu.
Red Bull Flight Day, which began in Vienna, Austria, in 1992, has been held more than 185 times around the world. In Türkiye, the event has previously been organized in 2008, 2010, 2013, 2019 and 2022.
Red Bull athlete and national motorcycle racer Toprak Razgatlioglu, whose comments were included in the statement, said he was excited to take a seat on the jury for Red Bull Flight Day, adding:
"What makes Red Bull Flight Day special is, I think, that it brings together courage and fun. Teams step up to the ramp with vehicles they've worked hard on for a long time, and no one really knows what will happen in that moment. I'm very excited because I'll be deciding the winner. I'm especially curious to see how creative the teams' work will be and how they'll fly off the ramp."
National taekwondo athlete Kubra Dagli also highlighted the creative side of the event, saying: "At Red Bull Flight Day, it's not just about how far you fly, but also how you arrive at that ramp.''
''The way teams create their own world, from their designs to their costumes and stage performances, makes the event a lot of fun. As a jury, I think we're going to watch performances that are all different from one another and full of surprises. I can't wait to see how the teams turn their imaginations into flight," she added.
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