Teens back from maths contest

SOUTH African teens who represented the country in two international mathematics competitions have made the country proud.

The South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) announced the results of the teams in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) that took place from July 6 to 16 in Oslo, Norway, while the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (Pamo) took place from June 19 to 28 in Benguerir, Morocco.

Teams travelled to the locations for the first time since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The South African team participating in the IMO was ranked 63rd out of 104 participating countries.

“Although we did not bring home any medals this year, the team’s overall performance is satisfactory,” said IMO team leader Dr Liam Baker, a lecturer at Stellenbosch University and IMO and Pamo alumnus.

The People’s Republic of China came first, followed by the Republic of Korea and the US in second and third place, respectively.

The teams that participated in the Pamo brought home three silver and two bronze medals. Morocco and Tunisia were in joint first place. South Africa ranked third out of nine participating countries. The other African countries were Botswana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria and Rwanda.

The Samo, including South Africa’s participation in the IMO and Pamo, is sponsored by Old Mutual and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and organised by the SAMF.

“We are proud of all the learners who participated in this year’s IMO and Pamo,” said Celiwe Ross, human capital director at Old Mutual.

“At Old Mutual, we believe that education is the foundation for success in life, and we believe that this year’s participants found value in this international learning opportunity.”

Professor Kerstin Jordaan, the executive director at the SAMF and full-time mathematics researcher at Unisa, said she was satisfied with this year’s results.

“As an organisation, we aim to create opportunities for South Africans to interact and compete globally.

“Exposure to international participation further develops problem-solving abilities because the learners get exposed to alternative solutions while socialising with young mathematicians from other countries.

“To everyone who participated this year, I want to say that we appreciate the hard work you put in to prepare for these contests and thank you for flying our country’s flag high.”