On November 14, 2025, the opening session of the International Health, Sports, and Tourism Congress was held at the 15 Temmuz Hall of the Ahi Evran Congress and Culture Center. The Congress, co-organized by Kırşehir Ahi Evran University and the International Health Tourism Institute, is scheduled for November 13–15. The opening session on November 14, 2025, was attended by Kırşehir Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek; Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş, Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Şimşek, and Prof. Dr. Musa Özata; Secretary General Asst. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin İlter; Volkan Burak Mumcu, Head of the Sports Tourism Department (Ministry of Youth and Sports); Bayram Yalçınkaya, Head of the Health Affairs Department (Directorate General of Sports Services); Üzeyir Işık, Deputy Secretary General of the Services Exporters' Association; Cihat ALAGÖZ, Chairman of the TOBB Fair Council; Dr. Fatih Seyran, President of the International Health Tourism Institute; Yasin Çakmakçı, Kırşehir Youth and Sports Provincial Director; along with academic and administrative staff and a large number of students.

At the opening speeches of the congress, the President of the International Health Tourism Institute Dr. Fatih Seyran, the Head of the Sports Tourism Department of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Volkan Burak Mumcu, the Deputy Secretary General of the Services Exporters' Association Üzeyir Işık, and the Chairman of the TOBB Fair Council Cihat Alagöz took the floor, talked about the importance of the congress, and expressed the wish that the results from the congress would be beneficial for our region and our country.

Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş spoke at the congress opening, emphasizing that Kırşehir Ahi Evran University was founded in 2006. He highlighted the university’s continuous development in education, quality, and research since its establishment. Prof. Dr. Güneş stated that Ahilik is more than a professional body; it is fundamentally a value-based quality movement that standardizes goods and services. He stressed that the core principle of this heritage is producing quality service, pointing to the Sports Health and Thermal Rehabilitation Application and Research Center (SAUTER) Project as a key health initiative. This project, he added, will help Kırşehir become a pioneer in health tourism. Güneş concluded by saying their work will contribute significantly to the academic world, society, the local economy, and cultural heritage, and expressed confidence that the congress would strengthen the integration of sports, health, and tourism.

Kırşehir Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek spoke next at the congress, stating: “Thanks to its deep-rooted history, natural heritage, geothermal resources, and our university’s specialization vision in this field, Kırşehir possesses one of the country's most ideal infrastructures for addressing health, sports, and tourism simultaneously." He emphasized that holding the congress in the city—which aims to share work and foster scientific cooperation—is "the strongest indicator of our will to make Kırşehir’s regional mission visible on a scientific platform and bring the city's potential to the national agenda with tangible results." The Governor concluded by extending his thanks to the organizers, presenting scientists, and all contributing institutions and organizations.

The two-day congress will feature 67 speakers and 11 multidisciplinary experts who will discuss and present on health and sports tourism. A total of 45 papers will be published during the event. Furthermore, 10 national athletes will share their experiences with young attendees. Key discussions will focus on assessing regional and national health tourism potential, raising service quality to international standards, and strengthening stakeholder collaboration.