It did not take long for him to attract the attention of the leading men in the Turkish wrestling federation by performing very well in the national arena.

In his own country, he had three tough rivals in İbrahim Zengin, Nuro Ayvar and Mahmut Atalay, against whom he had to prove himself time and again.

At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he won the silver medal, beaten only by U.S. wonderboy Douglas Blubaugh, the only opponent to whom he conceded only a points victory.

[2] After the 1964 Olympics, İsmail Ogan ended his career as an active wrestler and went back to live in Antalya, and then worked as a wrestling coach.

İsmail Ogan, who was diagnosed with respiratory failure and multiple organ problems, died 26 April 2022.