Bulgarian student wins Turkish Olympiad song contest final

Martin Yordanov from Bulgaria came first at the song contest final of the 11th International Turkish Olympiad at İstanbul Sinan Erdem Sports Hall on Friday night. Yordanov greets audience.(Photo: Today's Zaman, Selman Eştürkler)
Martin Yordanov from Bulgaria came first at the song contest final of the 11th International Turkish Olympiad at İstanbul Sinan Erdem Sports Hall on Friday night. Yordanov greets audience.(Photo: Today's Zaman, Selman Eştürkler)


Date posted: June 9, 2013

İPEK ÜZÜM, İSTANBUL

Martin Yordanov from Bulgaria won the most prestigious medal for singing at the 11th International Turkish Language Olympiad on Friday night before a crowd of tens of thousands in İstanbul, beating 14 competitors from various countries.

Foreign students fascinated thousands of spectators with their performances in song contest final as part of the 11th International Turkish Olympiad, a festival that celebrates the Turkish language and this year brought together 2,000 students from 140 countries around the world. The song contest final of the Olympiads was held at İstanbul Sinan Erdem Sports Hall on Friday night. Thousands of people thronged the hall to watch the final.

The Bulgarian student delighted jury members with the song “Deli Gönlüm” (My Mad Heart) in the singing competition of the 11th International Turkish Language Olympiad and came first at the song contest final of the Olympiads on Friday night. Yodanov received his award from Turkish pop diva Ajda Pekkan, who was also a jury member of the contest. Yordanov then performed the winning song once again in front of a cheering audience. Azerbaijan’s Ayhan Bunyadzade came in second while Guınevere Camacho attending the Olympiads from Philippines came in third.

A total of 2000 foreign students from 140 countries came to Turkey for the 11th Turkish Language Olympiad, which is organized by the International Turkish Education Association (TÜRKÇEDER). This year’s competition, which began on June 1 with a grand ceremony in Ankara, will end on June 16 with a closing ceremony to be held at the İstanbul Olympiad Stadium in İstanbul. There have been also various stage shows performed by Turkish Olympiad students in 55 cities of Turkey during the 16-day Olympiad period.

Among the nearly 20,000 attendees of the event were a number of well-known figures from politics, the arts, business, media and the world of sport. Economy Minister Mehmet Şimşek said that Turkish language is the language of love, peace and brotherhood. “Now, students from 140 countries are able to interact with each other in Turkish language, they are able to talk about peace, love and brotherhood in Turkish. We watched a great show this night. These Olympiads being held each year are great examples of success.” Şimşek noted.

Among the jury members of song contest were Arabesque singer and composer Orhan Gencebay, pop singer Ajda Pekkan, Turkish folk singer and songwriter Fatih Kısaparmak, classical Turkish music performer Muazez Ersoy, director Hamdi Alkan, producer Birol Güven, Lebanese-Swedish singer Maher Zain and Turkish pop singer and composer Sinan Akçıl.

Source: Today’s Zaman, 7 June, 2013

Tags: | |


Related News

Government carried out a “controlled” coup in an attempt to exploit its outcomes: Opposition leader

The main Turkish opposition party has accused the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of having prior knowledge of the failed July 15, 2016 putsch, saying Ankara carried out a “controlled” coup in an attempt to exploit its outcomes.

Columnist sees Gülen ‘conspiracy’ in ruling against Israel

Presenting the Gülen movement as the architect of the court ruling may help the government deal with a possible backlash from families, the İHH — an outspoken supporter of the government’s Middle East policies — and a wider segment of its own voters who want Israeli officials to pay for the Mavi Marmara raid, in case a reconciliation deal with Israel goes into effect. Internationally, it may help the government deal with Israeli and Western criticism that it is not committed to reconciliation with Israel despite officially vowing that it is.

Germany takes Gülenists off watch list, conducts counterespionage against Ankara – report

German police have removed the Gülen movement, which Ankara designates a terrorist organisation, from its ‘dangerous’ and ‘to be followed’ watch list, Sözcü newspaper reported, citing a domestic security report from the  country’s Southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Erdogan caught off guard in latest political crisis

Nobody thought Turkey’s powerful Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be caught so off guard — not after last summer’s Gezi Park protests — as he apparently was before the major graft probe, which involves four of his ministers, including the minister of interior and his sons. It is clear he sees a “shadow state” behind the operation and holds the Gulen movement responsible. Indications are Erdogan intends to “strike back” with a massive purge within the police.

Turkey’s post-coup purges shake higher education

With the summer holiday almost over, computer science student Hande Tekiner should be gearing up for a year of cram sessions and late-night homework. Instead, she may have nowhere to return to, as her university was shut after Turkey’s failed coup.

‘Well, you were saying Hizmet is a religious movement?’

The Hizmet movement is considered a civil society organization, an indispensable element in democratic societies. In democracies, elections truly matter. The will of voters is indisputably important. However, there is also another power, called public opinion. They influence the parties and administrations.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Expert: I fear that Turkey is headed to a prolonged period of civil conflict if not civil war

Panel Discussion – The Gulen Schools In Central Asia

Scholars to discuss tolerance at Hizmet Movement conference in Taiwan

Exiled Turkish professor ‘leading US university’

Heightened anxieties in Kosovo after arrest of ‘Gulenist educator’

Gulen: Erdogan will end up like Hitler and Stalin

GYV head dismisses ‘parallel state’ allegations against Hizmet

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News