Bangladesh wins bronze, five honourable mentions at International Math Olympiad

Young Bangladeshis won a bronze medal and five honourable mentions at the 63rd International Math Olympiad (IMO) in Oslo, Norway.

The Bangladesh team ranked 57th out of 104 countries, scoring 115 marks, which is second highest marks by Bangladesh at this international event. Bangladesh scored 118 in 2020.

The IMO had been held virtually for the last two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year Norway organised the event with prizes being distributed to winners at the concluding ceremony at the City Hall in Oslo at 3:00pm on Friday local time.

For Bangladesh, Tahjib Hossain Khan of Ananda Mohan College, Mymensingh, won a bronze medal, scoring 23 marks while Tahmid Hameem Chowdhury (21 marks) of Notre Dame College, Md Fuad Al Alam (21 marks) Dhaka Residential Model College, S M A Nahian (19 marks) of Shamsul Hoque Khan School and College, Md Ashraful Islam Fahim (17 marks) of Notre Dame College and Nujhat Ahmed Disha (14 marks) of Viqarunnisa School and College got honourable mention.

China topped the list with 252 marks to win six gold medals, followed by South Korea (208) and the United States (207).

The Chinese team become the first to score full 252 marks in this international event since the US secured the rare result in 1994.

Neighbouring India ranked 24th place with 165 marks, Sri Lanka 73rd (77 marks), Pakistan 82nd (54 marks) and Nepal placed at 89th with 27 marks. Organiser Norway ranked at 61st place.

A group of maximum six students from pre-university level participate in the event every year to solve six geometry, combinatorics, number theory and algebra solutions in two days, with participants getting four hours to solve three problems a day.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, bronze winner Tahjib Hossain Khan said, “I am very delighted with this achievement.”

Vice president of Bangladesh Math Olympiad committee and eminent academician Muhammed Zafar Iqbal congratulated the young mathematicians for their achievement.

“Our education system has faced various crises during coronavirus pandemic but our students have continued to study amidst such obstacles and that is a matter of great joy for us,” he said.

Eminent academician and member of Bangladesh Math Olympiad committee professor Mohammad Kaikobad congratulated the Bangladesh team members.

Managing director of Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited Abul Kashem Md Shirin congratulated all members of the winning team saying, “Our students once again joined in winning the mathematics contest along with entire world after the coronavirus.”

Bangladesh students will perform better in upcoming days, he hoped saying, Dutch-Bangla Bank will remain involved with this event as always.

To date, Bangladesh has won a gold, seven silvers, 32 bronzes and 38 honourable mentions at the International Math Olympiad.

This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna