17 August 2017
Singapore students have achieved excellent results in five International Olympiads held this year in the months of July and August.
In the 48th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, between the 16th and 24th of July, the Singapore team won five gold medals and came in third among 86 participating countries, trailing behind only Russia and the People’s Republic of China, each of which also earned five gold medals. The Singapore participants were Lee Vint Ve Shein Lin Htut, Ma Zhao Yu, Ong Hong Ming Teddy, Bradley Teo Wei Jie, and Darren Wayne Lim.
In the 58th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between the 12th and 23th of July, the Singapore team won 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal, 2 bronze medals, and 1 honourable mention. The Singapore team was placed 7th overall, and comprised of team members Joel Junyao Tan and Bryan Peng Jun Wang who won gold medals, Dylan Shan Hong Toh who won a silver medal, Yu Peng Ng and Clarence Xuan Da Chew who won bronze medals, and Jianzhi Wang who won an honourable mention.
In total, Singapore students clinched a total of 12 gold medals in five International Olympiads, including Olympiads for biology, chemistry, and informatics. The students also won seven silver and three bronze medals across the five Olympiads.
The mathematical and science Olympiads test top level theoretical problem solving ability that extend well beyond the regular school curriculum. In the sciences as well as in informatics, students are also examined on practical skills like conducting experiments and computer programming.
In 2016, Singapore won a total of 13 gold and nine silver medals as well as one bronze medal.