2024 International Mathematical Olympiad to be hosted in Bath

The 65th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) will take place at the University of Bath in July 2024, welcoming over 600 competitors from more than 110 countries.

The IMO is the largest and most prestigious of all the international olympiads, bringing together the brightest young minds from around the world. It involves teams of up to six contestants, aged between 14 and 18, sitting two exams on consecutive days. Each exam contains three tough problems, which contestants have four and a half hours to solve.

Contestants may be awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, as well as honourable mentions for good effort. Medals are presented at a closing ceremony by local and national dignitaries. The IMO represents the culmination of many years of mathematical endeavour and hundreds of attempts at solving incredibly complex problems.

The IMO Jury voted to reassign the hosting of IMO 2024 from Ukraine to the UK, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is the hope of the IMO Board and the organisers of IMO 2024 that there will be an IMO in Ukraine as soon as conditions allow.

This will be the fourth time that the event is hosted in the UK, which last hosted the competition in 2019, and before that in 1979 and 2002. In 2019, teams from China and the USA took joint first place overall. The UK team ranked 20th, achieving one gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

UK member of the IMO Board, Dr Geoff Smith, says: "Our global community is delighted that IMO 2024 will take place in the UK. The support of XTX Markets and a team of experienced volunteers means we will deliver a fantastic event in Bath where planning is already well underway.  We hope to see the IMO held in Ukraine again very soon."

The 65th anniversary event is proudly sponsored by leading algorithmic trading firm XTX Markets, which has made over £80mn in philanthropic donations since 2020, with a particular focus on maths and science. XTX Markets was also the principal sponsor of IMO 2019 and is currently supporting the Ukraine IMO team.

Simon Coyle, Head of Philanthropy for XTX Markets, said of the company’s support: “XTX Markets is proud to continue its support of the International Mathematical Olympiad. We are delighted that the UK mathematics community has come together to make an IMO possible in 2024 and we will be even happier to support the IMO to return to Ukraine in the near future.”

Commenting on the return of the event to the University of Bath, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ian White said, “We are thrilled that the International Mathematical Olympiad will be taking place at the University of Bath again in July 2024. It is a truly inspirational event and an honour to host so many talented young people here in Bath. We look forward to welcoming contestants from across the world next summer."