Turkish olympiads close with awards ceremony

Top officials and thousands of spectators on Saturday attended a ceremony in Ankara honoring the winners of a 10-day Turkish Olympiad marathon, during which 700 children from 115 countries showed off their skills in singing, reciting poetry, and prose composition. Among the officials attending were Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, State Ministers Hayati Yazici, Selma Aliye Kavaf and Faruk Celik, Education Minister Nimet Cubukcu, Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Mehdi Eker, Health Minister Recep Akdag, Board of Higher Education (YOK) head Yusuf Ziya Özcan, and Ankara Mayor Melih Gökcek. The contestants impressed the audience with their performances singing popular Turkish songs and poems.