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South Africa ready to take on the IMO

Thursday, 23 May 2019

South Africa ready to take on the IMO

Six high school learners have been selected to participate in the 60th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) to be held in Bath, the United Kingdom from the 10th till the 22nd of July 2019.

The IMO brings together young minds, not only for competition purposes, but also for instilling a spirit of friendship. The team has been selected based on the results of last year’s South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO) and other Mathematics Olympiad programmes by the South African Mathematics Foundation, followed by an intensive training programme.

The following learners have been selected:

Kgaogelo Bopape          Grade 11          Horizon International High School in Johannesburg

Taariq Mowzer               Grade 12         Fairbain College in Cape Town

Aaron Naidu                  Grade 12          Eden College in Durban

Andi Qu                        Grade 11          St John’s College in Johannesburg

Emil van der Walt           Grade 12         Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck in Cape Town

Adri Wessels                  Grade 12        Curro Durbanville in Cape Town

In the IMO, questions testing advanced thinking skills are chosen from mathematical topics including Geometry, Combinatorics, Number Theory and Algebra.

Taariq Mowzer, Aaron Naidu, Emil van der Walt and Adri Wessels have taken part in the IMO previously and walked away with honourable mentions. Kgaogelo Bopape and Andi Qu are the two new members of this year’s team and they have both already competed in the 2019 Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO). Kgaogelo came in at 2nd overall place and walked away with a gold medal. Andi Qu came in at 6th overall place and was rewarded with a silver medal. This ensures that the IMO team members are all familiar with the type of questions that are asked at the IMO and have gained valuable experience. The team will be accompanied by Liam Baker (leader) and Phil Labuschagne (deputy leader).

Professor Kerstin Jordaan, Executive Director at the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) is expecting great results from the South African team. "I am ecstatic about the team chosen to represent South Africa in this year’s IMO. They are young, bright individuals who have been thoroughly trained to tackle the questions asked at the IMO. I am positive that South Africa will perform well at the IMO,” said Professor Jordaan.

The 2019 IMO team travel expenses and training programmes are sponsored by Liberty and SAICA. 

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