Houston hosted the Fourth Annual Turkish Language Olympiad on Saturday April 3, 2010 at Hobby center. Over 6,0000 students who are taking Turkish lessons at universities, public schools, and branches of Raindrop Turkish House in 14 cities of Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Kansas, Louisiana, and Arkansas participated in the first round of eliminations. In order to encourage Turkish language training, Raindrop has been organizing Turkish Language Olympiads since 2007. Houston hosted 600 finalists from these six states who competed in 8 categories including Turkish language competition, singing, poetry, talent, Turkish cuisine contest, picture and figure, folklore, and state exhibition contests. The finalists will be the candidates to represent the "Lone Star State" in Turkey among the representatives of 115 countries. FOX TV news anchors Mike Barajas and Sibila Vargas appearance in traditional Turkish customs was one of the surprises of the night. Besides more than 2,500 spectators, political, academic, cultural notables as well as Nevzat Pakdil, Vice Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and congressman from Justice and Development Party representing the city of Kahramanmaras, Mustafa Kabakci, Congressman from Justice and Development Party representing the city of Konya, Mehmet Emin Ekmen, Congressman from Justice and Development Party representing the city of Batman, Haydar Kemal Kurt, Congressman from Justice and Development Party representing the city of Isparta, Yilmaz Tunc, Congressman from Justice and Development Party representing the city of Bartin, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, US Congressman Al Green, Consul General of Turkey Akil Oktem, and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett attended the event.
