TEHRAN – The 54th edition of the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) began today in the city of Isfahan and will end on July 28.

A total of 198 elite students from 46 countries, including Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Mexico, Turkey and several others, are taking part in the nine-day event, IRNA reported.

Of the 198 participants, 15 students are girls. Approximately 150 individuals supervise teams during the event.

The IPhO 2024, organized by Isfahan Technical University, consists of two parts: theoretical and practical exams, which will be held on Tuesday and Thursday this week. About eight percent of the participants are expected to win a gold medal.

In addition, Oman and Morocco participated in the competition as spectators to gain awareness of the Olympiad.

Participants must adhere to the IPhO statutes, which state that each national team may consist of a maximum of five students and two leaders.

Participants must be general or technical high school students, except students enrolled in technical colleges. Eligible students may have completed their school exams in 2024 without beginning university studies and must not be older than twenty years of age on June 30, 2024.
Delegation leaders should have expertise in physics or physics education and be able to solve competitive problems.

In addition, each of them must be able to communicate in English. In addition to delegations, teams may be accompanied by observers and visitors. Although observers may attend all Olympiad meetings, including those of the International Board, they have no voting rights or active participation in discussions. Visitors, on the other hand, are not allowed to attend International Board meetings.

Considering the increasing importance of physics in most technological fields and the general education of young people, the annual competition is held each year in one country with the aim of increasing international communication.

Science diplomacy is one of the country’s strategic policies. Holding this competition will contribute to the development of science diplomacy as it serves as a platform to meet future physicists and promote constructive interaction in physics and other science and technology fields. IRNA quoted Mahmoud Bahmanabadi, the chairman of the IPhO 2024 Organizing Committee, as saying.

The history of the IPhO dates back to 1967, when the first edition was held in Warsaw, Poland, with the participation of only five countries.

It has been 36 years since the Iranian team first took part in the competition and has won many medals so far.

Iran has hosted four International Olympiads so far in physics (2007), astronomy (2009), computer (2017) and biology (2018).

The Iranian team won four silver medals and one bronze medal at the 53rd IPhO, held in Japan in July 2023.

The IPhO 2023 was held from July 10 to 17 at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center in Tokyo, ISNA reported.

Mehdi Shirin-Bayan, Mohammad-Mehdi Mousavi, Ali Qanbari and Sina Fat’h won the silver medals and Shayan Feiz-Oskouei won the bronze medal.

The Iranian team won two silver medals and three bronze medals at the 52nd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO 2022), hosted by Switzerland.

International Olympiad Achievements

The exceptional performance of Iranian students in International Olympiads has placed the country among the top five best countries in the world.

“The education system of other countries is excellent, but Iran is among the top 5 countries in the world in the International Olympiads,” YJC quoted Elham Yavari, the head of the National Organization for the Development of Brilliant Talents (SAMPAD).

Yavari pointed to a reform plan approved by Iran’s Ministry of Education in 2011, which outlined a 20-year outlook for raising the quality of education and improving the education system across the country.

Iranian schoolchildren finished second and won six gold medals at the Second Open World Astronomy Olympiad (OWAO).

The tournament was hosted by Russia at the Sirius Educational Center from November 14 to 22, 2023, IRNA reported. Participants attended the event both in person and remotely.

Iran won one gold medal and three silver medals at the 35th International Informatics Olympiad, ranking the country seventh out of 91 countries in the world.

The IOI 2023 was held in Szeged, Hungary, from August 28 to September 4.

The International Olympiad in Informatics is an annual international computer science competition for high school students from various invited countries, accompanied by social and cultural programs.

It is one of the many International Science Olympiads held annually around the world. Exceptional high school students from different countries compete in the prestigious algorithmic competition to hone their computer science skills, such as problem analysis, design of algorithms and data structures, programming and testing.

This year, the Iranian team won five medals and finished third at the 16th International Olympiad for Astronomy and Astrophysics, held in Chorzow, Poland from August 10 to 20.

IOAA is an annual event for academically successful students from all over the world. It was founded in Thailand in 2006 and was an initiative of five countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Iran, China and Poland.

In addition, Iranian students won six medals and finished in 11th place at the 64th International Mathematical Olympiad, held in Japan from July 2 to 13, 2023.

IMO is the world championship of mathematics for secondary school students and is held in a different country each year.

Iranian students who participated in the 53rd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) managed to win four silver medals and one bronze medal, placing the country 11th out of 111 participating countries, ISNA reported.

The IPhO 2023 was held from July 10 to 17 at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center in Tokyo, ISNA reported.

During the 34th International Biology Olympiad (IBO), held in the United Arab Emirates from July 3 to 11, 293 students from 76 countries participated in the IBO 2023.

MT/MG