The western province of İzmir had not seen a stadium filled with such an enthusiastic crowd since the city hosted the Summer World University Games in 2005. Nearly 80,000 spectators filled Atatürk Olympic Stadium for a show held as part of the ongoing Turkish Language Olympiads, while thousands of others followed the event on giant screens set up outside the stadium and in the city square.
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| An estimated 150,000 people came to watch the Olympiads show on Monday |
Students faced fierce competition in their home countries in order to come to Turkey to compete in the final rounds, and each year roughly 15,000 students prepare for the event. In İzmir 80 students from 26 countries gave performances -- which included singing and poetry. The audience applauded enthusiastically as the students recited poetry and also sang along with the students' songs.
The Olympiads show in İzmir was aired live on more than 50 local television stations and several national channels as well. The İzmir event attracted high-profile state officials -- including city deputy and former Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay and current İzmir deputy and former Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım as well as İzmir Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu and İzmir Governor Cahit Kıraç.
In her opening remarks, a member of the organizing committee for the 9th Turkish Olympiads, Işılay Saygın, said the Olympiads that started with the participation of 17 countries in its debut in 2003, is now host to 130 countries. While highlighting that the Olympiads are important for building friendship between children of the world, Saygın, the former minister of women and family affairs, said the event is one of the biggest events promoting world peace. “This is a civil society movement carrying Turkish to all corners of the world and placing it among the world's [common] languages,” she added and thanked all Turkish teachers around the world.
Speaking after a laser show and folk dance performance by Kosovar students, Mayor Kocaoğlu said they were happy to host what he calls “a very important event where children of the world learning Turkish are fed on love and friendship and share beauty.” Kocaoğlu said he believes that the Olympiads contribute to world peace by promoting love. In his speech to the audience, Governor Kıraç highlighted the importance of sharing love in one common language through the Turkish Language Olympiads.
'Come, let's get acquainted'
Yıldırım recalled Emre's famous words and said İzmir was proud to welcome the Olympiad students with open arms. “The world has a lot of lessons to learn from this picture, which looks like a mini United Nations,” he said and thanked the youth of the world who joined the Olympiads.
In a poetry-filled speech, Günay said the souls of the poets Yahya Kemal and Mehmet Akif Ersoy, an Anatolian ruler, Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey, and founder of the modern Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, will rest in peace now that the Turkish language is stopping other foreign languages from dominating. “I sincerely present my love and respect to brothers and sisters and teachers who teach this beautiful language … and everybody who has served humanity on the nation's and my behalf,” Günay said.
Groups of Olympiad participants performed for audiences on Monday night in Erzurum, Antalya and Gaziantep. A closing ceremony at İstanbul's Sinan Erdem Dome will wrap up the Turkish Language Olympiads on June 30.
Published on Today's Zaman, 28 June 2011, Tuesday
