The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is a competition for
students at secondary school level with the aim of promoting
international contacts in chemistry . It is intended to stimulate the
activities of students interested in chemistry by way of independent
and creative solving of chemical problems. The IChO competitions help
to enhance friendly relations among young people from different
countries and they encourage cooperation and international
understanding.

The IChO is organized every year at the beginning of July in one of
the participating countries. Each participating country's delegation
consists of four competitors and two accompanying persons (also known
as mentors). The maximum age of the competitors is 20 years (at the 1.
July in the year of the competition).

Historical review:

The idea of the chemistry Olympiad developed in Czechoslovakia in the
year 1968. In this moved time corresponded the chemistry Olympiad first
to the desire for more international contacts and exchange. Thus by the
Czech national committee for the chemistry Olympiad invitations were
expressed to all socialist countries (with exception of Romania). In
May 1968 however the relations between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet
Union became so delicate that finally only Poland and Hungary
participated in this first international competition.

This first international chemistry Olympiad took place from 18 to 21
June 1968 in Prague. Everyone of the three participating countries sent
a team of six pupils, and altogether four theoretical tasks were to
be solved. Guidelines for the next competitions were already suggested.

The second chemistry Olympiad took place 1969 in Poland, now also
under participation of Bulgaria. Each crew consisted of five pupils,
and for the first time there was also an experimental competition. The
decision was made to invite more (socialist) countries and to limit the
number of the pupils to the four. The third Olympiad 1970 was
organnized in Hungary with the GDR, Romania and the Soviet Union as new
countries. For the first time also more than only three prices were
distributed to the pupils.

Since for the end of the meeting no new place was agreed upon, the
chemistry Olympiad was omitted 1971. On diplomatic level the three next
host countries (organizers) were agreed upon: the Soviet Union (1972),
Bulgaria (1973) and Romania (1974). 1972 for the first time preparation
tasks for the chemistry Olympiad were created. At a jury session one
suggested inviting of further socialist countries (Viet Nam, Mongolia,
Cuba, but not China). This did not occur however, so that 1973 again
seven teams took apart.

Romania possessed the courage to invite Sweden and Yugoslavia to the
Olympiad in Bucharest (1974), Germany and Austria sent observers. The
Federal Republic of Germany which thereby was as the first Nato-country
with an observer present, a circumstance, which was enabled because of
the Brandt government by the east contracts. Since 1975 participated
then beside West Germany and Austria also Sweden, Yugoslavia and
Belgium in the Olympiad.

Since 1977 the Olympiads are promoted also by the UNESCO and supported
financially. The first Olympiad in a non-socialist country took place
1980 in Linz in Austria, however without the Soviet Union. Since then
the number of the participating countries increased continuously, a
rise, which continued until today unbroken. If there was 1980 still 13
nations, then 1984 in Frankfurt/Main (Germany) already 21 delegations
participated.

With the fall of the iron curtain and the breakup of the Soviet Union
into independent states at the beginning of the nineties the number of
participants snapped up again. In addition, the very pleasing,
increasing interest of the Latin American countries became now apparent
with the numbers of participants. Now only a country from Africa is
missing, so that pupils from all five continents are at the start.
Altogether 47 delegations participated in the year 1998.
Though this strong increase
of the numbers of participants is very satisfactory it
involves some substantial problems for the hostcountry. Nevertheless
also this problem should be solvable with the introduction of moderate
start fees for the teams.

The tasks:

The actual competition is divided into two parts:a
theoretical and an experimental examination. Each lasts five hours.
Altogether 100 points are assigned, whereby in the theoretical section
60 points can be attained and in the experimental section 40 points. A
scientific jury, which is installed from the host country, suggests the
tasks. The international jury, which consists of 2 mentors from each
participating countries, discusses and approves the competition
tasks and translates it into the respective language of a country.

Style and quantity of the problems have changed in the meantime because
the curricula at the secondary schools strongly modify and many modern
developments in chemistry flowed into the tasks. If one compares
these problems of the origins of the chemistry Olympiad with tasks
of current Olympiads, then one detects immediately that both the degree
of difficulty and the range of the problems were increased clearly. The
tasks of the first chemistry Olympiad still fitted on 2 pages,
whereas alone the range of the theoretical examination in Melbourne
needed 18 pages (without solutions).

Apart from the scope however also the didactical quality of the
problems increased strongly. No pure fact knowledge is to be queried,
but much importance is attached to creativity and chemical
understanding. Many host countries try also to let specific special
features of the chemistry research in the country flow into the
problems.

Meanwhile exists a topic catalog, which arranges the tasks into
different degrees of difficulty from 1 to 3. All tasks within the
difficulty area 3 must have been treated in the preparation problems,
which are sent by the supervisor before the meeting to the mentors.

Since the second Olympiad also a practical examination belongs to the
Olympiads. This reflects the great importance of the experiment for the
chemical science. Many the Olympioniken were fascinated by the chemical
experiment for chemistry, and like that it is only logical that a large
weight is attached to the experimental section within the Olympiad.
The experimental examination is meanwhile firmly integrated in the
program of the chemistry Olympiad. Often their result decides on the
distribution of the medals.

In the last years was China dominating,
which with the large total population and the intensity of the
competition preparation is not further amazing. However also smaller
countries have shown that it is possible to along-pass on with a good
preparation quite above e.g. Hungary, Austria or Singapore, which took
the first space in Melbourne.

The olympic slogan is the center of attention of the Olympiad: To
participate is everything!

It remains to hope that the next thirty years of the chemistry Olympiad
just as successfully pass as the past, and that still as much pupils as possible can profit from this excellent competition.