Kazakhstan ready to host 51st International Mathematical Olympiad - Chairman of IMO Advisory Board, professor J. Pelikan

ANA. June 10. KAZINFORM /Meiram Baygarin/ Along with constant work on improvement of the quality of education Kazakhstan pays special attention to identifying and encouraging gifted children. Our country is the only one on the post Soviet space to have fundamentally new scientific and

educational institution for gifted children - Daryn Republican Scientific-Practical Center of the Ministry of Education and Science established by the Decree of President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1998. Namely this Center organizes the 51st International Mathematical Olympiad scheduled for July 2-14, 2010 in Astana.

It is no wonder that in 2007 the Olympiad's International Organizing Committee took a decision to let Astana host the IMO in 2010. Throughout the period of independence many olympiads have been held at the highest level in our country. Students from Kazakhstan did their best at the 50th IMO held in Bremen, Germany on July 13-21, 2009. Having won 3 silver and 3 bronze medals the Kazakh team ranked the 27^th among 108 countries taking part in it. In whole, over the years of participation in IMO our students have won 62 medals including 8 gold, 17 silver and 37 bronze ones.

The International Mathematical Olympiad is the most prestigious annual competition among the school students. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, GDR and Russia were invited to participate in it. Since that time the number of participating countries has steadily increased. Currently the data bank of IMO contains information about 12, 267 participants from more than 100 states.

Over 500 talented young mathematicians from every corner of the world will gather for IMO-2010.

Preparation for the Olympiad has been carried out since the last year. A ceremony of opening the decade "Kazakhstan welcomes the 51^st International Mathematical Olympiad" and passing the flag of the IMO-2010 took place on April 22. The events were attended by the tutors of the Eurasian National Gumilyov University, principals, teachers and students of the secondary schools of Astana.

During the period from May 31 to June 4 Chairman of the IMO International Advisory Board, professor József Pelikán visited Kazakhstan to meet with the representatives of the Kazakh Ministry of Education and Science. At the meeting Mr. Pelikán assured himself of financial and organizational readiness of Kazakhstan for the Olympiad. Issues regarding translation of necessary documents, accommodation of the participants and Jury, prizes were discussed.

J. Pelikán met also with Director of Daryn Republican Scientific-Practical Center Tildash Bituova and PhD of the Eurasian National Gumilyov University Yerzhan Baissalov who is also the Chairman of the Problem Selection Committee and will be the Chairman of the Jury. J. Pelikán discussed a number of issues regarding the Olympiad with Y. Baissalov and other members of the Committee including three Kazakh and three international experts.

"A big team of enthusiastic and knowledgeable people is working on organization of the IMO in Kazakhstan. Daryn Center has great experience in holding high-level national and international olympiads", the professor said upon completion of the meeting in Astana.