A youth festival was held as part of the celebrations for the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on May 19 in London.
The event, organized by the Education Counsellorship of the Turkish Embassy in London, the TRNC London Representation Education and Culture Attaché, the UK Turkish Language, Culture and Education Consortium, and the UK Turkish Community Football Federation, took place at the New River Stadium, North London.
The celebration was attended by Turkey’s Ambassador to London, Osman Koray Ertaş, and his wife Sevcan Ertaş, TRNC London Representative Ambassador Çimen Keskin, Turkey’s Education Counsellor Mevlüt Ceylan, Education Consortium President Nuriye Mertcan, President of the Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations in the UK Kenan Nafi, President of the UK Turkish Community Football Federation İrfan Davulcular, President of AS Ozan Beliğer, President of Notco Osman Ercen, and President of the European Turkish Brands Union Vehbi Keleş.
The festive celebration began with a procession of schools and young footballers. This was followed by poetry readings, speeches about the significance of the day, performances, sports competitions, tug of war, and sack races.
In his speech at the event, Ambassador Osman Koray Ertaş expressed the significant meaning of celebrating national holidays, especially with enthusiasm overseas.
Ambassador Ertaş stated, “These celebrations are vital instruments for passing on the values that define us to our new generation, youth, and children.”
Ertaş added, “I am delighted and proud to celebrate such a meaningful day with you here in London. We have not had such a comprehensive program in the past three years due to the pandemic. Therefore, we have all missed it, and I can see that in all of you. Hopefully, we will not experience such things again, and we will continue to celebrate our holidays together, with joy and unity, in this beautiful country, in the capital.”
Emphasizing that celebrating national holidays brings excitement, Ertaş concluded his speech by saying, “On this occasion, I remember and pay tribute to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, our comrades in arms, all our veterans, and everyone who contributed to the establishment of the Republic, with mercy and the nation. Happy holidays to all of you.”
