The 65th International Mathematical Olympiad, IMO for short, is taking place at the University of Bath this summer, welcoming over 600 competitors from more than 110 countries to the most significant annual international olympiad in the world. Running from 11 July until 22 July, this will be the fourth time that the event will be hosted in the UK, having previously hosted the competition in Bath in 2019, as well as previously in 1979 and 2002.
The event was planned to be held in Ukraine, however the country was unfortunately unable to host the competition due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In a trend started by Eurovision, the IMO Jury voted to reassign the hosting of IMO 2024 from Ukraine to the UK, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, it is the hope of the board of the competition that there will be an Olympiad in Ukraine as soon as conditions allow.
About Bath
Bath is a world heritage city renowned for its hot springs, Roman history and Georgian architecture. It was the home of the famous mathematician Adelard, whose translations of Arabic texts on mathematics introduced the Hindu-Arabic numeral system to Europe. The contestants are based at the University of Bath, with stunning views of the city and the surrounding countryside.
In 2019, the last time the event was hosted in the UK, teams from China and the USA took joint first place overall. The UK team was ranked 20th, achieving one gold, two silver and three bronze medals. The medals are presented at a closing ceremony by local and national dignitaries. IMO 2023 took place last summer in Chiba, Japan, hosted by The Mathematical Olympiad Foundation of Japan. The closing ceremony took place on 12 July 2023, when the baton officially passed to the UK.
The UK member of the IMO Board, Dr Geoff Smith, says “Our global community is delighted that IMO 2024 will take place in the UK. The support of XTX Markets and a team of experienced volunteers means we will deliver a fantastic event in Bath where planning is already well underway. We hope to see the IMO held in Ukraine again very soon.”
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath Professor Ian White commented that “We are thrilled that the International Mathematical Olympiad will be taking place at the University of Bath again in July 2024. It is a truly inspirational event and an honour to host so many talented young people here in Bath. We look forward to welcoming contestants from across the world next summer.”
You can find out more about the competition in this introductory video.