TEHRAN –Iranian schoolchildren ranked second and grabbed six gold medals in the Second Open World Astronomy Olympiad (OWAO).

The tournament was hosted by Russia at the Sirius Educational Center from November 14 to 22, IRNA reported.

The participants attended the event both in person and remotely, Russia ranked first in this competition.

The event brought together the most talented young astronomers and outstanding experts from Iran, Peru, Belarus, Venezuela, and other countries.

Moreover, Cuban, Mongolian, and Kazakhstani students took part in the online format; they completed written tasks under video surveillance. 

Comprising four stages, theoretical, practical, observation, and express tour—the Olympiad featured an enriching educational program with lectures, master classes, and tours.

For the four rounds of the Olympiad, the students had to solve 97 tasks. The authors assessed the participants' ability to work with star charts, process data, and make analyses and prognoses.

The members of Iran’s Astronomy Olympiad team, including Hananeh Khorram Dashti, Aria Fateh Kerdari, Ashkan Farrokhzadi, Yasman Farrokhi, Mohammad Mehdi Keshavarzi, and Ali Naderi Lordjani, managed to win 6 gold medals.

Intl. Olympiads achievements

The outstanding achievements of Iranian students in international Olympiads have placed the country among the top five nations in the world.

“The educational system of other countries is excellent, yet 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), as saying.

Yavari pointed to a reform-based plan approved by Iran’s Ministry of Education in 2011 that defined a 20-year prospect for the elevation of educational standards and improvement of the educational system across the country.

Iran grabbed one gold medal and three silver medals at the 35th International Olympiad in Informatics, ranking seventh in the world among 91 countries.

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

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

It is one of the several international science Olympiads held annually around the world. Exceptional high school students from various countries compete in the prestigious algorithmic competition to sharpen their informatics skills—such as problem analysis, design of algorithms and data structures, programming, and testing.

This year, the Iranian team took five medals, ranking third in the 16th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics held on August 10-20 in Chorzow, Poland.

IOAA is an annual event for students who perform very well academically around the world. Established in Thailand in the year 2006, it was an initiative by five countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Iran, China, and Poland.

Also, Iranian students took six medals, ranking 11th at the 64th International Mathematical Olympiad which was held in Japan on July 2-13, 2023.

IMO is the World Championship Mathematics Competition for High School students and is held each year in a different country.

The Iranian students who participated in the 53rd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) succeeded in winning four silver medals and one bronze medal which placed the country 11th among 111 participating countries, ISNA reported.

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

In the 34th International Biology Olympiad (IBO), held in the United Arab Emirates from July 3-11. The IBO 2023 hosted 293 students from 76 countries.

MT/MG