International Olympiads of mathematics

The international Olympiades of mathematics constitute an international championship of Mathématiques concerning pupils at the conclusion of their secondary studies. The Olympiads take place each year in a different country.

History

The first Olympiads were held in 1959 in Romania and gathered participants of 7 countries of Europe of the East (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, German Democratic republic, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union and Yugoslavia). Since, they took place every year, except in 1980.

It should be noted that committee OIM is not afficlié with the CIO (as opposed to what can let suggest its name), because its participants are not affiliated national sporting federations. The codets (codets alpha-3) and names of participating countries (like their flags) used by the OIM, are not those of the sporting nations of the CIO, but those of the ISO 3166-1 (and their national flags).

Currently, 90 countries of the five continents are concerned. Each country sends a team of 6 candidates to the maximum (with a chief of delegation and an assistant, as well as possible observers). The pupils must have less than 20 years and not have begun their higher learning, but no limit is imposed as for the number of participations. The test is individual but there exists a classification (nonofficial) by teams (cf will infra ).

The test consists in solving over two days, in two 4 hours meetings and half, two series of three problems resulting from the Géométrie planes, of the Arithmétique, the inequalities or the Combinatoire. Their resolution calls more upon the Raisonnement that with sophisticated knowledge: the solutions are often short and elegant. To each problem a total of 7 points is allotted.

Each country, except the organizing country, can propose problems at the Selection committee which is set up by the organizing country, which selects some of them in order to curtail the list of it. The chiefs of delegation arrive a few days before the pupils and gather then to choose the 6 exercises. Since they know the subjects before the tests, they are separated from the pupils until the end of those. The pupils are accompanied before the tests by the assistant chiefs of delegation.

The copies of the pupils are noted jointly by the chiefs of delegation of this country and the coordinators chosen by the organizing country (or the chief of the delegation which proposed the problem for the pupils of the organizing country). In the event of dissension, the whole of the chiefs of delegation provides a final opinion.

The medals and mentions are allotted to in an individual capacity, according to the scores of the participants, on the following criteria:

1/12 of the participants receives a gold medal.
2/12 of the participants receives a money medal.
3/12 of the participants receives a bronze medal.
Any pupil who does not receive any medal but which obtains the note of 7/7 on a exercise obtains the honourable mention.

Special prices can be allotted for extremely elegant solutions. Current before 1980, they are rarer since: the last were allotted in 1988, 1995 and 2005.

List Olympiads since 1959

Remarks

Of 1959 with 1981, the teams are made up of 8 people; in 1982, of 4; since 1983, of 6.
In 1980, the competition which was to take place in Mongolia is cancelled; two competitions, considered as nonofficial, are held then with the place: one in Finland, the other with the Luxembourg.

Others

In 1994, the team of the the United States (made up of Jeremy Bem, Aleksandr Khazanov, Lurie Jacob, Noam Shazeer, Stephen Wang and Jonathan Weinstein) becomes the first to carry out one without fault, adding up 252 points out of 252 possible. This exploit was mentioned in Time Magazine .
the Rumanian Ciprian Manolescu obtained the maximum score (42 pts out of 42 possible) with three recoveries, in 1995, 1996 and 1997.
the French Vincent Lafforgue, brother of Laurent Lafforgue, obtained the maximum score twice, in 1990 and 1991.
Several teams gained the Olympiads by obtaining 6 gold medals out of six possible: the China in 1992, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006 (8 times), the Russia in 2002 (1 time) and Bulgaria in 2003 (1 time).
the team of Hungary gains the Olympiad 1975 by not obtaining any gold medal (5 money medals, 3 bronze medals). The team which finishes in the second place, that of GDR, does not obtain any either (4 money medals, 4 bronze medals).
the American Reid Barton was the first participating one in obtain a gold medal with four recoveries, in 1998 (32 pts, 26e), 1999 (34 pts, 15th), 2000 (39 pts, 5th) and 2001 (42 pts, 1st).
the German Christian Reiher is the only different one taking part to have obtained four gold medals, in 2000 (31 pts, 28e), 2001 (32 pts, 28e), 2002 (36 pts, 4th) and 2003 (36 pts, 12th); Reiher also obtained a bronze medal in 1999 (15 pts, 138e).
the Australia N Terence CAT obtained a gold medal in 1988 thanks to a maximum score of 42 points out of 42, whereas it was old only 13 years, becoming thus the youngest member elect of a gold medal. He in addition obtained a bronze medal in 1986 and a money medal in 1987. The Médaille Fields is decreed to him in 2006.
Grigori Perelman which obtained the maximum score and a gold medal for the Soviet Union in 1982, refuses in 2006 the Médaille Fields which was decreed to him for the solution that it brought to the Conjecture of Poincaré.

See too

International commission of mathematical teaching

Books

Mr. Aassila, international Olympiads of mathematics , Ellipses, Paris, 2003. ISBN 2729815260
Paul Village, Yearly of the international Olympiads of mathematics, 1976-2005 , Cassini, Paris, 2005. ISBN 2842250877

External bonds

Official site
Site
complete Results
Yearly
Site Animath
Site Maths-Express train, yearly OIM and open competition
Subject 2007

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