Slamming the Turkish Olympiad in his election rallies, Erdoğan has threatened to refuse to grant a location to the event’s organizers.

On Feb. 28 an official notification was sent to universities across Turkey by the Higher Education Board (YÖK) to announce the International Scientific Mathematics, Chemistry and Statistics Olympiad in Tehran. The document was signed by acting YÖK Secretary General Fatma Nur Gümüşsoy and informs students and faculty about the application requirements.

Iran has been holding the science competition for 14 years and students from countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Cyprus, Malaysia and Syria attend the contest.

South African finals of Turkish Olympiad held

Meanwhile, 80 students from Turkish schools in South Africa competed in the country’s final round of qualifications for the Turkish Olympiad’s grand finale in Turkey in May.

Christopher Pope won the contest in the song category, while Khatijah Litau qualified to represent South Africa in the poetry category.