Turkey’s Olympic pistol sharpshooter, Yusuf Dikec, has applied for a trademark for his distinctive stance at the Paris Games, which gained global attention, according to his coach Erdinc Bilgili.
Bilgili explained that the trademark application with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office was a reaction to unauthorized attempts by others to trademark Dikec’s pose.
Dikec’s calm demeanour during the competition sparked a wave of memes, drawing comparisons to James Bond and catching the attention of figures like Tesla’s Elon Musk, who mimicked the pose.
Since winning silver in the mixed-team 10m air pistol event with Sevval Ilayda Tarhan—Turkey’s first medal in the category—fellow athletes have widely adopted Dikec’s pose. Most notably, Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson emulated the stance while celebrating a goal against Crystal Palace in the English Premier League.
Turkish media, including TRT Haber, have reported on the surge of memorabilia featuring Dikec, ranging from T-shirts to mobile phone covers.
The Turkish trademark office has yet to comment on the application.
In an early August interview with AFP, Dikec mentioned that his hands-in-pocket technique was purely for stability. “It’s just to maintain balance; there’s nothing more to it,” he clarified.
