He was born in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire in the mid-to-late 1910s, though his birth year was reported as both 1915[1][2] and 1917.
[1][2][3] He attended the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin,[4] finishing joint eighth in the individual road race with his country failing to medal in the team version.
[6] After retiring from active competition in 1949 he became president of the Turkish Cycling Federation[5] in 1950 and held that position through 1968, the same year that he helped found what would become the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey.
Upon the death of Halet Çambel on 14 January 2014, it was noted that Tunçalp was the oldest surviving Turkish Olympian.
[7] Tunçalp was interred at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery following the religious funeral service held at Şişli Mosque.