Mangistau student recognized as the top linguist in the Asia-Pacific region
Taming the Tongue Titans: APLO-2025 wraps up with Kazakhstan's Triumph!
Spring has sprung, but the competition was fierce as the Asia Pacific Linguistics Olympiad (APLO-2025) came to a close. This high-stakes intellectual smackdown brought together a Who's Who of gifted students from around the Asia-Pacific region: China, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Iran, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and more. As reported by Liter.kz, over 400 word wizards stormed the arena!
One student in particular, Ramazan Butuntayev from the Mangystau region's specialized IT lyceum, grabbed the spotlight and showed everyone why he's earned the title of the undisputed champ. He outsmarted the competition and won a solid gold medal, leaving the rest in the dust.
But Kazakhstan's victory train didn't stop there! When the dust settled, the team walked away with an impressive haul of 5 medals and 3 honorary diplomas. Cornering the podium were:
- Ramazan Butuntayev - 10th grade, specialized IT lyceum, Mangystau region;
- Samir Sarbasov - 12th grade, Nazarbayev Intellectual School, Nur-Sultan;
- Timur Kantayev - 11th grade, "Arystan", NNEF branch, Almaty;
- Zere Serikova - 11th grade, School No. 9 "Zerde", Nur-Sultan;
- Temirlan Seitbatal - 11th grade, BIU, Akmola region.
The honorary diplomas were handed out to:
- Islam Sipattalov - 10th grade, BIU, Aktobe;
- Shyngys Karasayev - 11th grade, Nazarbayev Intellectual School, Uralsk;
- Aron Hasanov - 11th grade, BIU, Atyrau.
Professors Aida Davletova (an international and republican linguistic and geography champ) and Eberhard Karl (a sharp-witted sophomore from the University of Tübingen) acted as Kazakhstan's coach for the event.
For the nerds in the back: APLO is a global battle of wits in linguistics for high-school students. Its primary objective is to fine-tune participants' logic, linguistic gut feelings, and cultural diplomacy skills. Participating in APLO lets students test their mettle on an international stage and gain some serious academic and professional bragging rights.
Sources:[1] Liter.kz, Where to next? APLO-2025 is over, but the adventure in languages is just beginning! [online] Available at: https://liter.kz/kazakhstan/2025-04-25/82738_aplo_2025_v_nakonce_no_perestroiki_v_yazykakh.html [Accessed April 2025].[2] Asia Pacific Linguistics Olympiad, About APLO [online] Available at: https://aplo-org.info/about-aplo [Accessed April 2025].[3] APLO-2025 Results, APLO 2025 Results: A Historical First for Kazakhstan [online] Available at: https://aplo-org.info/results/aplo-2025-results [Accessed April 2025].[4] Certificates of Honor, APLO-2025 Results: A Historical First for Kazakhstan [online] Available at: https://aplo-org.info/results/aplo-2025-results [Accessed April 2025].[5] Singapore Linguistics Olympiad, Singapore Linguistics Olympiad - The challenging pathway to international linguistics competitions [online] Available at: https://slo.nus.edu.sg/ Skyward/Home/Main [Accessed April 2025].
In the realm of education-and-self-development and personal-growth, the participants of APLO-2025, a high-stakes linguistic competition, demonstrated their learning prowess and cultural diplomacy skills. The undisputed champion, Ramazan Butuntayev, showcased his exceptional linguistic ability, earning a gold medal and securing his place as the best of the best.
