SA pupils shine at
International Maths Olympiad
Professor John Webb
Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics
University of Cape Town
The South African team of six high school students won four medals (one
silver and two bronze) at the 2002 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO),
held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 19 to 30 July.
The South African team was:
Dirk Basson (grade 10, HS Diamantveld, Kimberley)
Theo Mokgatlhe (grade 12, St Dominic's College, Welkom)
Shen Tian (grade 12, St David's Marist College, Johannesburg)
Ingrid von Glehn (grade 10, St Stithian's Girls' College, Randburg)
Tamara von Glehn (grade 10, St Stithian's Girls' College, Randburg)
Harry Wiggins (grade 12, Worcester Gymnasium)
Dirk Basson won a Silver Medal, missing a Gold by just one point. Shen Tian,
Ingrid von Glehn and Harry Wiggins won Bronze Medals.
The South African team was selected after a nationwide Mathematical Talent
Search organized by the South African Mathematical Society and sponsored by Old
Mutual. The team attended a five-day training camp at the University of Pretoria
before leaving for the IMO.
The IMO began in Romania in 1959. It is a problem-solving competition in
which teams of up to six members take part. Contestants must not be older than
19, and may not be enrolled at any tertiary institution. With 479 participants
from 84 countries, IMO2002 was the largest ever.
The International Jury of the IMO, comprising the Team Leaders of the
participating countries, set the question papers, which were then translated
into 54 different languages, from Afrikaans to Vietnamese. Each paper consisted
of just three questions, worth seven points each. Marking was very strict, with
partial scores given only when significant progress had been made. All the
problems were very difficult, and although they could all be solved using only
school mathematics, they would challenge the problem-solving ability of even
university professors of mathematics.
Only three students, Wenjie Fu (China), Boitong Wang (China) and Andrei
Khaliavine (Russia) scored the maximum possible 42 points at this year's IMO.
In the international ranking, the top ten countries and their team scores
were:
1. China (212)
2. Russia (204)
3. USA (171)
4. Bulgaria (167)
5. Vietnam (166)
6. Korea (163)
7. Taiwan (161)
8. Romania (157)
9. India (156)
10. Germany (144)
South Africa was ranked 32nd, with 90 points.
Professor Nic Heideman (Rhodes University), the Leader of the South African
team, said: "Dirk, Shen and Harry took part in last year's IMO, so we
expected them to do well. Ingrid's medal is especially pleasing, since it was
her first IMO, and she is only in grade 10."
Deputy Team Leader Professor Dirk Laurie (University of Stellenbosch) noted:
"South Africa outranked all Western European countries except Germany
(10th), France (19th) and Britain (27th)."
Only two other African countries took part: Morocco (ranked 63rd) and Tunisia
(ranked 73rd).
The Princess Royal, HRH Princess Anne, presented the top awards at the
Closing Ceremony. At a small reception just beforehand, the South Africans were
one of only six teams invited to meet Princess Anne.
The next IMO will be held in Japan in July 2003, and the South African team
will be chosen after the IMO Selection Camp, to be held in April 2003. In 2004
the IMO will be held in Greece, as part of a Greek Cultural Olympiad linked to
the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
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More Information:
Professor J H Webb
Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics
University of Cape Town
7701 RONDEBOSCH
Tel: (021) 650 3193
Fax: (021) 686 0476
win@maths.uct.ac.za
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