Turkish ex-wrestler's appointment to state bank angers opposition

FILE PHOTO: Hamza Yerlikaya of Turkey celebrates after winning the gold medal in the greco-roman wrestling 96kg division in the European Wrestling Championships in Moscow April 27, 2006. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's opposition parties are criticizing the appointment of a former wrestling champion to a state bank's board, calling on him to reject the position for lack of banking competence.

Hamza Yerlikaya, who won several Olympic medals and world titles in the 1990s for Turkey, was appointed management board member at the country's fourth-largest lender Vakifbank, according to a stock exchange filing.