In Mariupol there took place the first, national-scale round of the World Olympiad in the Modern Greek Language held as a part of the program for celebrating in 2016 the Year of Aristotle by the World Coordination Committee of the Pontic Youth (PASEPON) in collaboration with the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki under the support from the General Secretariat for the Greeks Abroad and the aegis of the Greek National Committee for UNESCO. The age of the contestants ranged from 18 to 25. The Olympiad is held in two round, the first one being at the national level (USA, Australia, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, and Azerbaijan) and the second, international one, in Thessaloniki (in early September).

The national-level round in Ukraine took place in Mariupol State University under the financial support from the Pantelis Boumbouras Charitable Foundation

The first round winners are:

• First place – Valentina Oleynik (Mariupol)
• Second place – Ann Vinnik (Kharkiv)
• Third place – Anastasia Ponomarenko (Odessa)

Anastasia Ponomarenko is the fourth year student of the Department of Romano-Germanic Philology at the Odessa I.I. Mechnikov National University (Modern Greek language instructor – Nanoushka Podkovyroff).

The winners were awarded with a late July   trip to Greece where they will take additional training in the Modern Greek Language at summer camp of the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki in Posidi (prefecture of Khalkidhiki).

Three contestants in the World Olympiad will be awarded with prizes from the organizing committee, and the winner will receive a scholarship for the postgraduate study at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki.

The Branch of the HFC congratulates the current winners and wish them further success!