MEDIA RELEASE
15 July 2010
Young Australians Come Home with Olympic Medals and a
Higher International Ranking
The Australian student team excelled at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held this
year in Astana, Kazakhstan, where 96 countries competed from 2 to 14 July. For the first time,
Australia scored higher than major countries such as Iran, Romania and Bulgaria, each of which
had been the top-ranked country at IMO at some time since 1996. The team won a Gold Medal, 3
Silver Medals and a Bronze Medal and improved its ranking from last year’s 23rd to 15th overall.
Aaron Chong of Doncaster Secondary College in Melbourne won the Gold Medal, having achieved
Silver last year. His overall placing was 18th out of the field of 517 contestants. Sampson Wong
and Stacey Law, both of James Ruse Agricultural High School in Sydney, who each won Silver,
had achieved Gold and Bronze respectively in 2009. Kiho Park, of Mount Waverley Secondary
College in Melbourne also won a Silver Medal. Sydney Grammar student, Timothy Large, who was
the youngest team member, won a Bronze Medal. David Vasak, also from Sydney Grammar, was
given an Honourable Mention.
For the first time in many years Australia also defeated Taiwan, and they defeated Great Britain,
which had defeated Australia just a week before in the annual Mathematics Ashes, a traditional
contest undertaken during pre-IMO training.
The UNESCO-sanctioned IMO is the pinnacle of competition between students of pre-University
level from around the world and the premier international competition in mathematics for secondary
school students globally. It first began in 1959 and is the oldest and largest of the Olympiads.
Australia has entered for the past 29 years.
Professor Peter Taylor, Executive Director of the not-for-profit Australian Mathematics Trust, which
is responsible for all aspects of Australia’s participation in the Olympiad program, said "Although
those who make the Olympiad teams are exceptionally talented, the IMO is the apex of a larger
program run by the Trust, in which hundreds of thousands of students participate and benefit from
annually. It begins with the iconic Australian Mathematics Competition and continues through the
Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians and its enrichment stage”.
Professor Taylor acknowledged the extensive infrastructure of volunteer professionals who support
the work of the Trust and generously pass on their knowledge to the next generations. He
particularly mentioned that IMO Team Leader and Director of Training, Dr Angelo Di Pasquale,
himself a former IMO medallist, plays a pivotal role in the success of the teams, but in turn gave
credit to the team for their harmony, years of hard work, and application.
The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research provides sponsorship, which
widens access to the program to tens of thousands of students. The Australian Association of
Mathematics Teachers and the Australian Mathematical Society also provide support.
For more information visit www.amt.edu.au or for photos and interviews, please contact:.
Professor Peter Taylor, Australian Mathematics Trust, pjt013@gmail.com, 02 6201 2440; 0412 258 699
Jan Collins, Australian Mathematics Trust, jan.collins@amt.edu.au, 02 6201 2954; 0415 922 433
Dr Angelo Di Pasquale, (IMO Team Leader) (03) 8344 4306; 0402 383 248
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Aaron Chong, Timothy Large, Stacey Lowe, Kiho Park, David Vasak, Sampson Wong
(From left to right)
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