ZURICH — King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity Mawhiba has presented Saudi Arabia's preparation to organize the International Chemistry Olympiad 2024. In front of the representatives of 89 countries and with the participation of the Education Ministry and King Saud University, Mawhiba presented Saudi Arabia's preparation in a meeting on the sidelines of the International Chemistry Olympiad 2023, which is being held in Zurich, Switzerland. Mawhiba also announced the participation of a Saudi team in the current Olympiad, which started on the July 16 and will end on July 25. It is worth mentioning that the International Chemistry Olympiad is an annual competition for the world's most talented chemistry students in the level of secondary school. The Olympiad is being held in order to stimulate students' interest in chemistry through independent and creative chemistry problem solving. It also aims to enhance international communication in chemistry, as well as creating friendships among the young scientific community of different nationalities. This is in addition to the cooperation between the students and exchanging the educational and scientific experiences in chemistry. Mawhiba mentioned that Saudi Arabia had participated in the Chemistry Olympiad 12 times, through which, Saudi students were able to achieve 35 medals, 10 silvers, and 25 bronzes. The Education Ministry has revealed the names of Saudi students participating in the Chemistry Olympiad, who are: Ali Bin Habeeb Al-Saleh, a third-grade secondary student from Riyadh Education Department, who received 3,209 training hours. Moreover, Mohammed Bin Sulaiman Al-Hadlaq, a third-grade secondary student from Riyadh Education Department, received 3,209 training hours. Ali Bin Salah Al Mousa, a second-grade secondary student from Al-Sharqiyah Education Department received 3,214 training hours. Hussain Bin Abduljalil Al-Khalifa, a second-grade secondary student from Al-Sharqiyah Education Department, received 2,314 training hours. It is noteworthy that the idea of organizing the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) started in Czechoslovakia in 1968, where its name was Chemistry Olympiad (ChO) as part of the secondary education system in all the Soviet bloc countries. The 56th International Chemistry Olympiad will be held in Saudi Arabia in July, 2024.
