Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he banned Friday the use of the word "arena" to describe stadiums, saying the term stemmed from ancient Rome and referred to a place where people had to fight for their lives.
"In our language, there is no such thing," said Erdogan.
The word stadium comes from Latin and ancient Greek. The word arena also stems from the Latin "harena," and has been in use for several centuries, according to the Oxford dictionary.
Erdogan, speaking in front of graduates from a religious high school, said he gave the order to the sports minister. He was addressing them at the eponymous Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium in Istanbul.
Turkey has several "arenas" including the famous Vodafone arena where the Besiktas football club plays.
