Polish Students Europe's Best at Math Olympiad

This outstanding performance placed Poland as the top-ranked team in Europe. The global contest concluded on Saturday in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, where 641 students from 112 countries competed.

Poland tied for fourth place with Japan, ranking behind China, the United States, and South Korea. The Polish team outperformed other strong competitors, including Israel, India, Singapore, Vietnam, Turkey, and Hong Kong.

This year marked Poland's best IMO result since 1973, when the competition featured just 15 countries.

Medals and Mentors Behind Poland's Success
The Polish gold medalists were Stanisław Lada, Magdalena Pudełko, and Jakub Świcar, while Mateusz Wawrzyniak, Michał Wolny, and Antoni Mazur secured silver medals.

The team was coached by Dominik Burek and Tomasz Cieśla. Their combined effort led to a historic achievement for Poland in international mathematics.

Russian Participation Sparks Controversy
This year's event also witnessed controversy regarding Russia's participation. After a 2022 ban due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the IMO allowed Russian students to compete following a vote (62-23).

However, their results were marked unofficial and excluded from the final rankings.

Ukraine, also a participant, expressed disappointment over these decisions. Additionally, Ukraine was denied hosting rights for the 2024 event, which was moved to Bath, England, due to the ongoing war.

Ukrainian representatives stressed their view that Russia's actions against Ukrainian education and children should disqualify it from such events.