Singing, poetry competitions of Turkish Olympiad held in İstanbul, Ankara

Youth and Sports Minister Suat Kılıç with medalists of the poetry final
Youth and Sports Minister Suat Kılıç with medalists of the poetry final


Date posted: June 10, 2013

Senegalese student Maty Diokhane, who recited a Necip Fazıl Kısakürek poem, won the poetry competition of the 11th International Turkish Language Olympiad on Saturday night, while Martin Yordanov from Bulgaria won the singing contest held in İstanbul on Friday night.

The 11th International Turkish Language Olympiad, which brings together hundreds of foreign students each year from Turkish schools established around the world, is organized by the International Turkish Education Association (TÜRKÇEDER). It is a festival that celebrates the Turkish language and which this year brought together 2,000 students from 140 countries. This year the Olympiad began on June 1 with a grand ceremony in Ankara and will end on June 16 with a closing ceremony to be held at Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium in İstanbul. There have been also various stage shows performed by the Olympiad students in 55 cities of Turkey during the event.

The poetry final of 11th Turkish Olympiads took place at the Ankara Arena Sports Hall on Saturday night and thousands of people, including senior officials, politicians and high-profile guests from the world of the media and arts, were in attendance. Diokhane from Senegal, who recited a poem titled “Zindandan Mehmed’e Mektup” (A letter from prison to Mehmet) by famous Turkish poet Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, received the highest scores from the jury members in the contest and was named the winner of the poetry final of the Olympiads. Azerbaijan’s Türkan Memmedova, who recited a poem titled “Birazdan Gün Doğacak” (A new day will rise soon) by Turkish poet Erdem Beyazıt, came second, while Georgian student Natali Todadze came third by reciting a Turkish poem titled “Yağmur Musikisi” (Rain Music) by well-respected Turkish Scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Youth and Sports Minister Suat Kılıç, who was among attendees of the event, expressed his gratitude and admirations to the teachers who leave their homeland and go to many countries across the world to teach the students at Turkish schools. He also saluted Gülen for all his contributions to the organization of the Turkish language Olympiads.

Among the jury members of the poetry contest were author and poet Bedirhan Gökçe, former Turkish Language Association (TDK) President Şükrü Haluk Akalın, Professor Ali Fuat Bilkan, the general manager of the Yunus Emre Foundation, and writer and scholar İskender Pala.

The singing final of the Olympiads was held at İstanbul Sinan Erdem Sports Hall on Friday night. Thousands of people attended the final and the foreign students fascinated thousands of spectators with their performances. Yordanov from Bulgaria won the 11th International Turkish Language Olympiad’s most prestigious medal for singing on Friday night before a crowd of tens of thousands in İstanbul, beating 14 competitors from various countries.

The Bulgarian student delighted jury members with the song “Deli Gönlüm” (My Mad Heart) and 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 to a cheering audience. Azerbaijan’s Ayhan Bunyadzade came second, while Guinevere Camacho from the Philippines came third.

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

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

Source: Today’s Zaman, 9 June, 2013


Related News

In A Letter, A Jailed Woman Reveals Abuse And Ill-Treatment In Turkish Prison

A letter by a jailed Turkish woman who wrote to her aunt from Konya prison revealed the ill-treatment of detainees who were subjected to abuse, inhuman and cruel treatment in Turkey’s detentions and prisons.

Who are these pro-Erdogan mobs who even beheaded a soldier?

Hours after the failed coup attempt, pro-Erdogan mobs flooded the streets of Turkey. They behead soldiers, storm military headquarters. But who are they?

Turkey’s Gulen supporters flee to Greece – BBC World

Hundred of members of Turkey’s Gulenist network have sought refuge in neighbouring Greece. Turkey accuses the network of being behind the failed coup in July 2016. And in recent months, the number of lives in exile appears to be increased as the BBC’s Cagil Kasapoglu reports from Thessaloniki.

“It was so cold, it felt like an arrow through my heart”

Τhis situation (Persecutions by the Turkish government) made us leave our homeland. Why would people throw their children in to the fire, throw their children into the water? I want people to think of the reason behind, why all this is happening.

Gülen’s German collaborator, or the German slap?

Is President Gauck the German controlling agent for the German cell of this merciless terrorist organization? Did President Gauck make that speech –unusually bold [and honest] for a visiting dignitary – because he, too, is being held hostage to blackmail by the Gülenists? Did the Turkish “parallel state” tap Mr. Gauck’s phones and blackmail him? Or did Mr. Gauck say what he said because he had been paid by Lufthansa which, according to Mr. Erdoğan’s men, was one the foreign conspirators behind the Gezi Park protests?

Gulen says he is certain Erdogan behind failed Turkey coup

Asked if he was suggesting that Erdogan was behind the coup, Gulen said: “Until now I only thought that was a possibility. Now I think it’s certain.” Gulen said a Turkish officer had recently said that the chief of general staff and the intelligence chief met in the army headquarters during the night of the coup, adding: “They already knew everything that would happen later.”

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

A Chat with Vonya Womack, a Human Rights Activist and Expert on Turkey and Its [Gulen Follower] Refugees

Kurds, Turkey and growing with Öcalan’s help?

Closing down prep schools and calling it ‘transformation’

A new book by Esposito and Yavuz on ‘The Gülen Movement’

Pro-gov’t daily proudly announces Gulenists put in ‘concentration camp’

Monday Talk with Alp Aslandogan on Gulen Movement and Recent Coup Attempt in Turkey

Turkish Schools, an Honor for Host Countries

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News