Baladi News
The eldest son of Bashar Assad has finished in 528th position out of 615 contestants in the International Mathematical Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro.
Hafez Assad, who competed with a Syrian team that placed 56th overall, posed with his teammates next to a Syrian flag on Saturday in the closing ceremony of the 12-day event.
Security has been tight at the hotel where the competition was held, due to the presence of the 15-year-old.
In his sole interview at the event, printed by news portal O Globo on Monday, Hafez commented on the ongoing conflict in Syria using his father's conspiracy theory: "It is a war against the people. The population and the government are united against the invaders who are taking the country!," he said.
Pro-regime Facebook pages shared news of the final results of the Syrian Science Team in Rio de Janeiro , where Hafez Bashar al-Assad participated as one of team members.
The pages said Hafez ranked in 28th out of the 600 in the Math Olympiad!
A series of comments on social media mocked the Assad family with sarcastic commentary, like, “At least we can say the Olympiad is fair and democratic.”
The Olympiad comprises a group of Syrian students who have excelled in secondary school in science, mathematics, physics, and other areas.