International Physics Olympiad (IPhO)
The International Physics Olympiad is an annual competition held every July, with each team comprising the top 5 students.
The first IPhO was organized in Warsaw, Poland, in 1967 under the supervision of Professor Czesław Ścisłowski. The concept traces back to 3 scientists from Soviet bloc countries in the mid-20th century:
Professor Czesław Ścisłowski, Poland.
Professor Rostislav Kostial, Czechoslovakia.
Professor Rudolf Konvalví, Hungary.
These scholars adopted the idea of establishing an Olympiad for high school (grades 10 to 12) and equivalent technical education students in physics, modeled after the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which was first held in 1959. After intensive consultations among the three professors, it was agreed to organize the first Physics Olympiad in Warsaw, chaired by Professor Czesław Ścisłowski. It was also decided that the Olympiad would be held annually in a rotating manner, similar to the International Mathematical Olympiad. It is noteworthy that a fundamental difference between the Physics Olympiad and the Mathematics Olympiad is the inclusion of practical problems in the former, making its preparation and organization more complex and costly than the Mathematics Olympiad.
Formation of Teams in the First Physics Olympiad Edition
Each participating team was composed of a maximum of 5 students and two supervisors, with observers allowed within the same delegation. The competition regulations included 3 to 4 theoretical problems on the first day and one experimental problem on the second day. The official languages of the Olympiad were English and Russian only (i.e., the examination papers were provided in English and Russian, but teams could answer in their native languages). A rest day was scheduled between the two examination days. A Secretariat Committee composed of experienced members was formed to manage organizational tasks and respond to the needs of all participating teams.
Saudi Arabia's Participation in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO)
Through the participation of the Saudi team in the 42nd International Physics Olympiad held in Thailand from July 10–18, 2011, student Yousef Al-Owaid earned a Certificate of Honorable Mention, marking the first achievement of its kind for an Arab country. The total score of the Saudi team increased to 25% compared to only 2% in their previous participation.
At the 43rd International Physics Olympiad held in Estonia from July 15–24, 2012, the Saudi team achieved a historic milestone for Saudi Arabia and the Arab world by winning the first bronze medal through student Abdullah Al-Salloum. Additionally, three other team members—Hamoud Al-Harbi, Ali Al-Hulaimi, and Mohammed Al-Hajji—received Certificates of Honorable Mention. Securing awards for 4 out of 5 team members reflected significant progress in the team's performance and confirmed that planning and training are the keys to excellence. The team aspires to win silver and gold medals in the coming years.
Saudi Arabia participated in the 44th International Physics Olympiad held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from July 7–15, 2013, where students Mohammed Al-Hajji and Ali Al-Hulaimi won bronze medals. Furthermore, students Ibrahim Al-Nami and Abdulmohsen Al-Owaid received Certificates of Honorable Mention.
Saudi Arabia continued its participation in the 45th International Physics Olympiad held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from July 13–21, 2014. The team won two bronze medals through students Abdulmohsen Al-Owaid and Faisal Al-Khayyal, in addition to a Certificate of Honorable Mention awarded to student Ibrahim Al-Juhani.
The Kingdom also participated in the 46th International Physics Olympiad held in Mumbai, India, from July 4–13, 2015. Four students—Mohammed Al-Wudaynan, Faisal Al-Saif, Abdulmalik Al-Ghanim, and Faour Al-Faour—earned Certificates of Honorable Mention.
In the 47th International Physics Olympiad held in Zurich, Switzerland, from July 11–17, 2016, student Faisal Al-Saif won a silver medal. Students Yazan Al-Majnouni and Ghada Al-Shaalan earned bronze medals, while Ghassan Al-Jawi and Faisal Al-Hajri were awarded Certificates of Honorable Mention.
Saudi Arabia continued its participation in the 48th International Physics Olympiad held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from July 16–24, 2017. Extending their previous successes, student Faisal Al-Salloum won a silver medal, as did student Ghada Al-Shaalan. Student Yazan Al-Majnouni secured a bronze medal, and student Waleed Al-Durgham received a Certificate of Honorable Mention.
In 2018, during the 49th International Physics Olympiad held in Lisbon, Portugal, from July 21–29, 2019, Saudi Arabia continued achieving impressive results. Faisal Al-Salloum earned a silver medal, while Yazan Al-Majnouni and Waleed Al-Durgham each secured a bronze medal. Student Muath Al-Fayoumi received a Certificate of Honorable Mention.
Asian Physics Olympiad APhO
The Asian Physics Olympiad is the main physics competition for Asian countries, following a structure similar to that of the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) and requiring a comparable intellectual level from participants. A key difference between the APhO and the IPhO is that each country can send up to 8 students to the APhO, compared to 5 students for the IPhO. Participants must not exceed twenty years of age by June 30 of the competition year. The first edition of the APhO was held in Indonesia in 1999 with 12 participating countries, and it has been organized annually at the beginning of May ever since.
Nordic-Baltic Physics Olympiad (NBPhO)
The Nordic-Baltic Physics Olympiad is a regional competition that began in 1992 through cooperation between Estonia and Finland. Initially called the Estonia-Finland Physics Olympiad, it served as the final training stage for selecting each country’s team for the International Physics Olympiad.
In 2014, Latvia requested to join the competition, followed by Sweden in 2016, prompting the renaming of the Olympiad. Each founding country is allowed to send up to 20 participants, and other countries may join as guests with a limited number of participants.
European Physics Olympiad (EuPhO)
The European Physics Olympiad is a competition for high school (grades 10 to 12) students featuring short but intellectually challenging problems that require creative answers.
It is open to European and non-European countries alike, with each participating country allowed to send 5 students and one leader. The competition aligns with the International Physics Olympiad’s policies and topics.
It consists of two parts:
A theoretical exam comprising three deep-concept problems, with 5 hours allotted for completion.
An experimental exam consisting of one or two problems, also with a five-hour time limit. Unlike the IPhO, in the EuPhO, students themselves discuss their answers with the scientific committee instead of team leaders.
