TEHRAN –The 54th edition of the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) commenced today in the city of Isfahan and will conclude 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 some other countries are attending the nine-day event, IRNA reported.

Out of 198 participants, 15 students are girls. Some 150 individuals are accompanying teams during the event.

Hosted by Isfahan University of Technology, the IPhO 2024 consists of two parts: theoretical and practical exams which will be held on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Around eight percent of the participants are expected to grab gold medals.

Moreover, Oman and Morocco have participated in the competition as observers to become familiar with the Olympiad.

Participants are required to adhere to the IPhO statutes, which stipulate that each national team may consist of up to five students and two leaders.

Contestants must be general or technical secondary school students, excluding those enrolled in technical colleges. Eligible students could have completed their school examinations in 2024 without commencing university studies and should not exceed twenty years of age by June 30th, 2024.
Delegation leaders must possess expertise in physics or physics education and be capable of solving competition problems.

Additionally, each of them should be able to communicate in English. Alongside delegations, teams may be accompanied by observers and visitors. While observers may attend all Olympiad meetings, including those of the International Board, they do not possess voting rights or active participation in discussions. Visitors, on the other hand, are not permitted to attend International Board meetings.

Considering the growing importance of physics in most fields of technology and the general education of youths, the annual competition is held every year in a country with the aim of increasing international communication.

Science diplomacy is one of the strategic policies of the country. Holding this competition will contribute to the development of science diplomacy since 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 started participating in the competition and won many medals so far.

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

The Iranian team grabbed four silver medals and one bronze medal in the 53rd IPhO that was held in Japan in July 2023.

The IPhO 2023 was held from July 10-17 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 gained two silver medals and three bronze medals at the 52nd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO 2022) hosted by Switzerland.

Intl. Olympiad 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.

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, 2023, IRNA reported. The participants attended the event both in person and remotely.

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