TEHRAN – Iranian students won four silver medals at the 57th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) held from July 5 to 14 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

The event brought together 360 students from more than 90 countries to compete, collaborate, solve challenges, and explore innovation.

Each participating nation sent a team of four students and two mentors. The students competed in a rigorous five-hour laboratory practical exam and a separate five-hour theoretical exam, with the practical examination typically preceding the theoretical one.

The Iranian team, consisting of Sina Ahani, Seyyed Taha Hosseini, Seyyed Amir-Hossein Taheri Tari, and Mohammad Keifari Alamdari, succeeded in winning four silver medals. 

The IChO is designed to foster interest in chemistry by challenging students with complex and creative chemical problems. Beyond the competition, it aims to promote international collaboration, build friendships among young scientists from different countries, and facilitate the exchange of scientific and educational expertise.

Participants are ranked based on their scores rather than as teams. Gold medals are awarded to the top 12 percent of students, silver to the next 22 percent, and bronze to the following 32 percent. 

The top 10 percent of non-medalists receive honorable mentions. Special awards are given to the student with the highest overall score, as well as to those with the best scores in the theoretical and practical exams.

Excelling at the IChO requires a deep understanding of chemistry, the ability to interconnect different chemical concepts, and strong practical application skills. The competition not only rewards excellence but also inspires future generations of chemists worldwide.

The concept of the IChO originated in former Czechoslovakia in 1968, with the inaugural event held in Prague from June 18–21 of that year. Since then, the Olympiad has been held annually, except in 1971.

Initially, participating delegations were primarily from Eastern Bloc countries, but in 1980, Austria became the first non-Eastern Bloc nation to host the event.

Recent achievements

An Iranian team comprising six students placed second in the 3rd International Mathematics Summer Camp (IMSC) held in Beijing, China, from June 20 to July 12, 2025.

Bardia Khosh-Eqbal grabbed a gold medal, Mehdi Aqajanloo, Parsa Tajallaei, Mohammad-Reza Attaranzadeh, and Mohammad-Sajad Memari won silver medals, and Amir-Hossein Zarei won a bronze medal, IRIB reported.

The event served as a training ground for the upcoming International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in Sunshine Coast, Australia.

The 65th IMO was held from July 11 to 22, 2024, in Bath, United Kingdom. Some 108 countries and 609 students competed. The Iranian team scored 137 points, earning 19th place.

Attending the second International Mathematics Olympiad for high school students in Turkmenistan, Iranian students managed to win seven bronze medals.

Hosted by Ashgabat Specialised General Education School, the event was held from April 21 to 26. 

More than 230 talented students from 15 countries, including Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Armenia, Bulgaria, Nepal, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Vietnam, Qatar, and Turkmenistan, took part in the competition. 

Thirty-one students from North Khorasan represented Iran in the second Olympiad. Mohammad-Javad Kamali Kalati, Arya Mohammadi Razi, Mahsa Abron, Sajjad Azizi, Mahyar Forooghifar, Yalda Mesrzadeh, and Setayesh Rahimi won bronze medals, Tasnim news agency reported.

Iranian students won two silver and two bronze medals, ranking fourth at the Turkic International Mathematics Olympiad (TIMO) held from April 17 to 22, in Antalya.

TIMO is an international event that is open to students from grades 3 to 12. The competition is held in two rounds, including the preliminary and global rounds. 

In the preliminary round, over 27,350 students from 35 countries competed against each other online in December. The offline qualifying exam had 25 multiple-choice questions, administered for 60 minutes.

Parnian Heydarian and Anusha Abdi grabbed silver medals and won the world star awards, while Fatemeh Mazini and Ava Dejagah won bronze medals.

MT/MG