Yusuf Dikec: Turkish Olympic shooter aims to trademark viral stance

Turkiye’s Olympic pistol sharpshooter Yusuf Dikec has filed to trademark his nonchalant stance at the Paris Games that went viral around the world, his coach told AFP.

His coach Erdinc Bilgili said that the move to protect the commercial use of his pose with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office came in response to others trying to trademark it without Dikec’s say-so.

“After being informed of numerous trademark registration initiatives carried out without Yusuf Dikec’s knowledge, we submitted an application about a week ago,” Bilgili told AFP, adding that the “other applications have been rejected”.

Dikec’s apparent sangfroid inspired a flood of memes online, some comparing him to fictional spy James Bond, while billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk shared a video of himself striking the stance.

His pose also became widely imitated among his fellow athletes since he won silver, Turkey’s first medal in the mixed-team 10 metre air pistol, with teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan.

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson also copied it on Sunday as he celebrated scoring against Crystal Palace in the English Premier League.

Various bits of memorabilia bearing his likeness have gone on sale, T-shirts, mugs and mobile phone covers among them, Turkish news channel TRT Haber reported.

The Turkish trademark office did not immediately respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

In an interview with AFP at the beginning of August, Dikec said there was a natural explanation for his hand-in-pocket technique. “I only do it to keep my body more stable, to keep my balance. There’s nothing more to it,” he said.