math olampiyad

The first International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) was held in 1959 in Romania. It was originally intended for Eastern Bloc countries only, but since then the list of participating countries has grown to over 80 from all over the world. The site of the competition changes each year, and past locations include such diverse venues as Finland, India, Cuba, Argentina, and Bulgaria. The United States first competed in the IMO in East Germany in 1974 and, in addition to hosting this year, also hosted the competition in 1981. The competition has been held every year except 1980. When the IMO first began, each country was allowed up to eight participants. In 1982 this was scaled back to four members, but in 1983 the number was increased to six, which is where it still stands. The contestants must be no more than 20 years old and must not have any postsecondary-school education. There is no limit to how many times a person may participate in the IMO, provided the individual meets the age and schooling requirements. Even though the contestants represent their countries in the Olympiad, there are no official teams and all scoring is done on an individual basis only. Although the particular way the representatives are chosen differs from country to country, each country requires a great deal of hard work and mathematical skill from its members.
Bringing math and students together is an age-old idea. Mathematical competitions have played important roles in the tradition of many countries for centuries, surely dating as far back as the Greeks competing to solve geometry problems. In the XVI century, the Italians competed to resolve cubic polynomials, the French held competitions in the XVIII century, and Hungary organized the Eotvos competitions since 1894, which is most likely the closest antecedent to the Mathematical Olympiad held today. The first Mathematical Olympiad took place in Leningrad (now San Petersburg) in 1934, organized by B.N. Delone and G.M. Frijtengolts. In 1959, Romania organized the first International Mathematical Olympiad as an eastern European regional competitmtion with seven countries.