Olympic skier Berkin Usta and father killed in fire at closed Turkish ski resort

Olympic alpine skier Berkin Usta, 25, tragically lost his life along with his father in a fire that engulfed a closed ski resort in Turkey’s northwest region early Thursday morning.

Usta, who proudly represented Turkey at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, had been staying with his family at the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, located about three hours from Istanbul. Around 5:30 a.m., flames erupted at the six-story hotel, which had been closed since January due to its accommodation permit being revoked.

The blaze claimed the lives of Usta and his father, Yahya Usta, who was the president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association and a former national skier. Miraculously, Yahya’s wife survived the fire.

Team Turkey expressed profound grief in a statement on X, saying, "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." They extended condolences to the grieving family and the broader sports community.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach also shared his sorrow, noting, "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."

Local officials suspect the fire originated in the hotel's cafeteria. The family had been staying on the fifth floor, although the hotel had been permanently shuttered earlier this year. The circumstances surrounding their presence at the closed facility remain unclear.

The fire was extinguished within two hours, but not before it ravaged much of the upper floors. This tragedy comes on the heels of another deadly fire in the region, which claimed 79 lives at a popular ski resort earlier this year.

Berkin Usta was more than an athlete; he was a symbol of hope and pride for Turkey on the international sports stage. His untimely passing, alongside his father, is a devastating reminder of how fragile life can be.