Claiming Victory at the International Olympiad in Tatar Language

Ms. Mizuki Nakamura (third person from the left) and President Minnikhanov (fourth person from the left)

The Fifth International Olympiad in Tatar Language was held in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia, from April 18 to 21. Ms. Mizuki Nakamura, a second-year student in the Master's Program in International Area Studies, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Tsukuba, claimed first place at the Int'l Olympiad in Tatar Language.

This Olympiad is hosted by the Republic of Tatarstan, aiming to promote the Tatar language and culture. This year's Olympiad marked the fifth time. To compete in the Olympiad, the candidates were required to pass a screening test on the web. Nearly 15,000 people took the test. About 500 candidates got through the screening process and competed on-site at the Olympiad in Kazan. The on-site test consisted of essay writing, writing exams in the knowledge of Tatar history, oral presentations, and cultural performances. Ms. Nakamura scored especially high marks in essay writing, oral presentations, and singing in Tatar as a cultural performance.

Ms. Nakamura received the awards from Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, including the certificate of commendation, a new tablet, Tatar traditional costumes, and a letter of acceptance to Kazan Federal University.

On her winning the championship, Ms. Nakamura said, "My long cherished dream finally came true, as I won this year. I competed in the Olympiad three years in a row. I ranked in the top 35 in the third Olympiad in 2015; and I won the third prize in the fourth Olympiad in 2016. Though I won the championship this year, my Tatar language skills are not as good as native speakers who speak Tatar on a daily basis. I would like to keep learning Tatar and improve my Tatar language skills. My next goal is to publish a text book on Tatar language written in Japanese."

In response, President Minnikhanov said, "We welcome more entries from students in Japan. I hope the University of Tsukuba will play a central role to promote friendship between Tatar and Japanese students."

The University of Tsukuba has concluded a partnership agreement with Kazan Federal University since 2015, and implemented exchange programs. The two universities are expected to promote further exchanges in the future.