The joint Russian-Chinese University MSU-BIT in Shenzhen has announced the results of the 58th International Mendeleev Olympiad for schoolchildren (IMO-58), a prestigious chemistry competition.
The Russian team delivered a dominant performance, with all ten participants in the International Mendeleev Olympiad securing medals, TV BRICS reported.
Five students earned gold medals: Aleksey Mikheev, Aleksandra Romashova, Vadim Kharisov, Rasul Efendiev, and Mikhail Perelman (who also received the 3rd degree Academician Valery Lunin Prize). The remaining five team members – Lev Avvakumov, Timur Akhmedov, Viktor Demidov, Vladimir Elistratov, and Aleksey Sharpilo – were awarded silver medals.
Students from Bulgaria, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan also achieved gold medal status. Following the international chemistry championship tradition, 10% of participants received gold, 20% received silver, and 30% received bronze medals.
This year’s International Mendeleev Olympiad boasted a record-breaking number of participants, with over 200 students and mentors from 29 countries (including observers) taking part. The competition serves as a valuable platform for international collaboration and fosters connections among future scientific leaders.
The IMO traces its roots back to the All-Union Chemical Olympiad, upholding its traditions and numbering system. National teams comprise winners of their respective countries’ chemistry olympiads. The challenging three-round competition consists of two theoretical rounds and one practical laboratory round, testing students’ theoretical knowledge and laboratory skills.
“The Mendeleev Olympiad is more than just a competition,” stated Stepan Kalmykov, Chair of the IMO-58 Organizing Committee. “It fosters friendships and collaboration among future scientific minds. Holding the event outside the CIS for the first time signifies a significant step, and the host country for 2025 will be announced soon.”
This year’s International Mendeleev Olympiad marked a historic shift, being held for the first time outside the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The Faculty of Chemistry at Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Melnichenko Foundation co-organized the event, which aligned with Russia’s Decade of Science and Technology initiative and the “Science to Win” program.
