The International Chemistry Olympiad
is an international competition in chemistry for high school students. These
competitions are held annually in July of every year, and are held in a
different country, and last for ten days.
In this International Olympiad,
nearly three hundred students, from about seventy different countries, are
competing to achieve the best results, to obtain Olympic medals, which paves
the way for them with the best options and future opportunities.
The International Chemistry Olympiad
competition aims to strengthen the links and cooperation between students, and
the exchange of educational and scientific experiences between different
countries, so most countries are keen to prepare for this international
competition, by organizing National Chemistry Olympiad competitions, through
which students qualify to participate in the International Chemistry Olympiad.
The host of the Olympiad by organizing and preparing Olympiad questions, which
consist of two parts; Part theoretical and part practical.
Each country participates with a
maximum of 4 students, provided that the student is no more than 20 years old
and has not enrolled at the university level.
A supreme committee oversees the
Olympiad, made up of members representing different continents of the world.
Overview
The idea of organizing the
International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) began in Czechoslovakia in 1968, when it
was called the Chemistry Olympiad (ChO) as part of the secondary education
system in all countries of the Soviet bloc, and the Soviet Union was a model
for all other countries, and the Ministry of Education was based on supporting
the competition, At the beginning of the competition, no Western country was
invited to participate in this Olympiad.
Later, in the same year and during
the first International Olympiad for Chemistry, preliminary regulations for the
international competition were formed, including that these competitions will
be held at the end of the school year, and the national team from each country
(students and supervisors) will participate in the competition, and the
competition includes two tests; A theory test and a practical test.
It was decided that the Olympiad
would be hosted by different countries annually, and the first International
Chemistry Olympiad began in 1968 in Czechoslovakia, with the participation of
only 3 countries (Czechoslovakia - Poland - Hungary), and it included 6
students, and the Olympiad was only four days.
In
1975, other countries such as Austria and Belgium joined, bringing the
number of participating countries to 12 countries, and the number of 48
students and the Olympiad period increased to ten days.
In
1985, 22 countries participated, including Kuwait, and the number of
students reached 84. In 1995, 42 countries participated, and the number of
students reached 164 students.
In
2004, 61 countries participated, and the number of competing students
reached 233 students.
In
2010, the Olympiad was held in Tokyo, with the participation of 68
countries, and the number of students reached 268, and five countries
attended as observers.
Participation
of Arab countries
The
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participated in the years 2004 and 2005 as an observer,
and in the years 2006 and 2007 with students, then returned to participate as
an observer in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and participated in the students of
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia achieved through these Participants: 7 silver medals, 18 bronze medals,
and a certificate of appreciation.
Kuwait
participated since 1985, and Egypt participated with students in 2002 for
several years, then it stopped participating in 2008.
Syria
participated for the first time with students in 2010 and continued to
participate, and during these participations until 2018, it achieved about
10 bronze medals and several certificates of appreciation.
The venue and date of the
International Chemistry Olympiad for the coming years
The
fifty-second International Chemistry Olympiad in Turkey, July 2020.
The
53rd International Chemistry Olympiad in Japan, July 2021.
The
54thInternational Chemistry Olympiad in China, July 2022.
The
55th International Chemistry Olympiad, Switzerland, July 2023 AD.
The
56th International Chemistry Olympiad, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, July 2024.
