The Turkish Olympiad, which is organized by the International Turkish Education Association (TÜRKÇEDER) each year as part of the International Turkish Language and Culture Festival, is being held from June 1 and 16. A total of 99 stage shows will be held in 55 cities across Turkey during this 16-day period.
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| Thousands filled Konya’s Atatürk Stadium despite the cold to watch the Turkish Olympiad |
About 20,000 locals flocked to the Konya Metropolitan Municipality Ataturk Stadium to watch the Turkish Olympiad despite the heavy rain on Thursday night in Konya.
Rumi was a 13th-century Muslim poet, jurist, theologian and Sufi mystic. He is seen as a symbol of love, peace, brotherhood and tolerance. Rumi is well known around the world, with one of his famous quotes being “Come, come, whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. Ours is no caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times. Come, yet again, come.”
Konya Mayor Tahir Akyürek opened the ceremony, saying that he was very happy to host the participants. "There should be some reasons behind the efforts made by Turkish schools operating in 140 countries in the world. What are the intentions of these efforts? The purpose behind the schools is to promote love, peace and brotherhood. I want to thank all the people who have tried to achieve this. I want to thank the devoted teachers working at Turkish schools all around the world, Turkish businessmen who provide financial support to Turkish schools and of course I am sending my greetings to the esteemed Hocaefendi [referring to Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen] for his inspiration and support of the organization," Akyürek stated.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who is from Konya, also sent a message since he could not attend the ceremony because he was abroad. Davutoğlu said the Turkish language has always been the language of love, friendship and peace; it has never been the language of discrimination.
Konya Governor Aydın Nezih Doğan, also speaking during the ceremony, said that he is very happy to host Turkish Olympiad students in Konya, which is a city of love and peace. Defining the Olympiad students as the representatives of world peace, Doğan stated: "No matter which religion, language, skin color or culture, the Olympiad participants are helping us to build world peace. I want to thank all the people who contributed to the organization of this ceremony today."
Soner Cesur -- the chairman of Konya-based Active Businessmen and Industrialists Association (AKTİSAD), which is one of the institutions sponsoring the event held in Konya -- told Today's Zaman that as the Turkish Olympiad brings together students from all around the world, it also brings together people with different ideologies and political views. "Various public institutions or organizations, nongovernmental organizations and private companies mobilized to organize the ceremony that was held today in Konya. Although the organizing institutions have different views, they worked in collaboration to make this ceremony happen."
In the meantime, the 200 Turkish Olympiad students who came to Konya visited the tomb of Rumi on Thursday afternoon. The students visited the Mevlana Museum, which houses the tomb of the 13th-century Sufi saint and poet Rumi, and took photos with locals during their visit.
Stage shows that were part of the 11th Turkish Olympiad were also held in the Amasra district of Bartın and in the cities of Tekirdağ, Aydın and Bolu on Thursday evening.
Published on Today's Zaman, 07 June 2013, Friday
