Education Resources

International Chemistry Olympiad

The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is an annual academic competition for high school students. It is one of the international science olympiads.

The first IChO was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1968. The event has been held every year since then except 1971. The delegations that attended the first events were mostly countries of the former Eastern bloc, and it was not until 1980, the 12th IChO, that the event was held outside of it, in Austria.

Structure and rules of the competition

An International Chemistry Olympiad medal.

Each delegation consists of up to four students and two mentors (one of them is designated as the head of the delegation). A delegation may also include a guest and a scientific observer. Students must be under the age of 20 and must not be enrolled as regular students in any post-secondary education institution. The International Information Center of the International Chemistry Olympiad is based in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Countries who wish to participate in the IChO must send observers to two consecutive olympiads before their students can participate in the event. A total of 68 countries took part in the 36th IChO: 61 as participants and 7 as observers.

The competition consists of 2 examinations, a theoretical examination and an experimental examination. Both have a duration of up to 5 hours, and are held on separate days (usually the practical is held before the theoretical). The theoretical examination has a value of 60 points, and the practical examination has a value of 40 points. Each test is evaluated independently from the other, and the sum of the results of the examinations determines the student’s overall result.

Students receive the examination translated to their language; it is the duty of the mentors to translate the tests from English before they are given to the competitors. After the examinations are held and evaluated by a committee appointed by the organizing country, but before the awards are assigned, mentors discuss the evaluation of the tests with judges of the committee, to assure fairness in the evaluation. Because the mentors have knowledge of the exams before they are held, any communication between the mentors and the students is strictly forbidden.

The syllabus of the competition contains subjects from several areas of chemistry, such as inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, biochemistry and spectroscopy. Though the majority of the subjects are included in most secondary school chemistry programs, for the most part they are evaluated at a much deeper level and some may require a level of knowledge and understanding comparable to that of post-secondary education. In addition, the host country of each IChO issues a set of preparatory problems well in advance of the competition. These preparatory problems cover specific topics in significantly more depth than typical post-secondary education. Preparation for the International Chemistry Olympiad demands a high level of understanding and interest in chemistry, and an outstanding ability to relate chemical subjects with each other and with the practical world.

All participants are ranked based on their individual scores, and no team scores are given. Gold medals are awarded to the top 10% of students, silver medals are awared to the next 20% of students and bronze medals are awarded to the next 30% of students. Honorable mentions are awarded to participants that do not win a medal but score a perfect problem in either the theoretical or the practical examination. Two separate special awards are given to the students who get the best score in the theoretical and in the practical examination.

These events are also outstanding opportunities for the students to meet people from all around the world who share similar interests, to visit different places and get in touch with different cultures. As the aims of the competition establish, the IChO competitions help to enhance friendly relations among young people from different countries; they encourage cooperation and international understanding.

Preparation for the competition

While each country is free to choose its team by whatever means it deems appropriate, it is usually done by holding regional and national olympiads. Once the team is selected (or as part of the selection process), students often go to “training camps”, where mentors from their country give them accelerated college-level courses in chemistry, with an emphasis on the topics covered in that year’s preparatory problems. It is agreed that such training programs must not exceed a total duration of two weeks, but there are allegations every year that some countries exceed this limit by months, or even years. Another concern is that some countries tend to bring the same students repeatedly, which helps them obtain better medals; while this is not against the rules, some mentors feel that it goes against the spirit of the competition.

Past and future International Chemistry Olympiads

• The 38th IChO will be held in South Korea in 2006.
• The 37th IChO was held in Taipei, Taiwan, July 16-25 at National Taiwan Normal University.
• The 36th IChO was held in Kiel, Germany, July 18-27 2004.
• The 35th IChO was held in Athens, Greece, July 5-14 2003.
• The 34th IChO was held in Groningen, The Netherlands, July 5-14 2002.
• The 33rd IChO was held in Mumbai, India, July 6-15 2001.
• The 32nd IChO was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 2-11 2000.
• The 31st IChO was held in Bangkok, Thailand, July 4-11 1999.
• The 30th IChO was held in Melbourne, Australia, July 5-14 1998.
• The 29th IChO was held in Montreal, Canada July 13-22 1997.
• The 28th IChO was held in Moscow, Russia, July 14-23 1996.
• The 27th IChO was held in Beijing, China, July 13-20 1995.
• The 26th IChO was held in Oslo, Norway, July 3-11 1994.
• The 25th IChO was held in Perugia, Italy, July 11-22 1993,
• The 24th IChO was held in Pittsburgh and Washington, USA, July 11-22 1992.
• The 23rd IChO was held in Łódź, Poland, July 7-15 1991.
• The 22nd IChO was held in Paris, France, July 8-17 1990.
• The 21st IChO was held in Halle, German Democratic Republic, July 2-10 1989.
• The 20th IChO was held in Espoo, Finland, July 2-9 1988.
• The 19th IChO was held in Veszprém, Hungary, July 6-15 1987.
• The 18th IChO was held in Leiden, The Netherlands, July 6-15 1986.
• The 17th IChO was held in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, July 1-8 1985.
• The 16th IChO was held in Frankfurt, West Germany, July 1-10 1984.
• The 15th IChO was held in Timişoara, Romania, July 2-11 1983.
• The 14th IChO was held in Stockholm, Sweden, July 3-12, 1982.
• The 13th IChO was held in Burgas, Bulgaria, July 13-23 1981.
• The 12th IChO was held in Linz, Austria, July 13-23 1980.
• The 11th IChO was held in Leningrad, Soviet Union, July 2-11, 1979.
• The 10th IChO was held in Toruń, Poland, July 3-13 1978.
• The 9th IChO was held in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, July 4-14 1977.
• The 8th IChO was held in Halle, German Democratic Republic, July 10-19 1976.
• The 7th IChO was held in Veszprem, Hungary, July 1-10 1975.
• The 6th IChO was held in Bucharest, Romania, July 1-10 1974.
• The 5th IChO was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, July 1-10 1973.
• The 4th IChO was held in Moscow, Soviet Union, July 1-10 1972.
• The IChO was not held in 1971.
• The 3rd IChO was held in Budapest, Hungary, July 1-5 1970.
• The 2nd IChO was held in Katowice, Poland, June 16-20 1969.
• The 1st IChO was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia June 18-21 1968.

External links

• Official site of the 38th IChO, 2006
• Official site of the 37th IChO, 2005
• Official site of the 36th IChO, 2004
• Official site of the 35th IChO, 2003
• Official site of the International Chemistry Olympiad International Information Center

Preparatory problems, results and the theoretical and practical examinations can be found in each IChO’s website.