Chinese Mathematical Olympiad

Chinese school mathematics competition

Chinese Mathematical Olympiad

Traditional Chinese| 中國數學奧林匹克
Simplified Chinese| 中国数学奥林匹克
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Zhōngguó Shùxué Àolínpīkè

The Chinese Mathematical Olympiad (Chinese: 中国数学奥林匹克) is an annual invitational mathematical competition for high school students in China organized by the Chinese Mathematical Society.[1] Its participants are teams of high school students from every province of mainland China, as well as guest teams from the two special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau, and also from Russia and Singapore.[2] It is part of the selection process for the Chinese team to the International Mathematical Olympiad.

## Eligibility

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To take part in the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad, high school students have to attain top positions in their own provinces in the National High School Mathematics Competition, which is held on the second Sunday of September each year. Provincial mathematics societies often hold preliminary tests to pre-select students for the National High School Mathematics Competition, although these tests do not constitute a part of the official IMO team selection process. Then, based on the results, each province is allocated a quota to enter the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad. In early editions, the quota was usually 3 to 5 for a province, but could go up to 15 for strong provinces such as Beijing. The quotas have since increased significantly, for instance the quotas for the 2023 CMO ranged from 6 to 26, totalling about 550. Also invited to the CMO are past national training squad members who are still in high schools, and around 15 of the top contestants in the China Girls Mathematical Olympiad.[3]

## Format

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The Chinese Mathematical Olympiad follows the same format as the IMO. Two papers are set, each with 3 problems. The examination is held on two consecutive mornings, and contestants have 4 hours and 30 minutes each day to work on the 3 problems. The Chinese Mathematical Olympiad is graded in 3-point increments, so that each problem is worth 21 points, making the total score 126, triple that of the IMO.[4]

## Awards

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The Chinese Mathematical Olympiad has first, second and third class awards. There is also an award for the best team called "Chern Shiing-Shen Cup".[5]

## National training squad

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Currently, about 60 highest-scoring contestants amongst the first class award winners are invited to the national training squad, who will go through a training camp to select the IMO team. Until 2016, the training camp consisted of a single phase with several regular tests and a team selection test, which was in the format of the IMO. The IMO team was selected based on the final result, of which both the regular tests and the team selection test were worth 50%.[6][7] Since 2017, the training camp has been split into two phases, held in two separate periods at two high schools. In each phase of the training camp that lasts for about 8 to 9 days, two team selection tests, each of the same format as the IMO, are conducted. In the first phase, 15 top scoring members are selected to the next phase, and at the end of the second phase, the six IMO team members are selected based on the total points of the four team selection tests.[8][9] Members of the national training squad have guaranteed admission to any universities in China without sitting the Gaokao examination.

## History

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China received the first invitation to the IMO from Romania in 1978, which was the first time its mathematics community learnt of it. Since having been invited to the 1981 IMO from the United States, the Chinese Mathematical Society had been preparing to participate in the IMO while waiting for approval from the China Association for Science and Technology. Upon hearing that the representatives of China had been asked again to join the IMO in a UNESCO meeting in Paris in April 1985, the leadership decided to join at the end of April, just two months before the IMO. The Chinese Mathematical Society then selected two students from Beijing and Shanghai using that year's American Invitational Mathematics Examination paper, and sent them to the 1985 IMO as a trial. At the 50th anniversary meeting of the society in December 1985, it was decided that a competition was to be held in January 1986 to select students to the IMO. It was called the National High School Mathematics Winter Camp. From 81 contestants, 21 were selected to the training squad, from which 6 were selected to the IMO Chinese team. In the 1990 Winter Camp, the "Chern Shiing-Shen Cup" was created with the donation by the renowned mathematician Shiing-Shen Chern. After hosting the IMO in Beijing in 1990, the Winter Camp was named the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad in 1991.[5]

China has been sending its team to the IMO every year, except for the 1998 IMO held in Taipei, which the Chinese team did not take part due to serious cross-strait tensions.

The Chinese Mathematical Olympiad used to be held in universities. However, admission officers from other universities would come to recruit contestants, creating tensions with the hosting university. Thus, universities became reluctant to host the CMO. Since 2002, except in 2004, the CMO has been held in high schools to let the high schools take on a more active role. Regional mathematical competitions have also been started by high school alliances, such as the China Southeast Mathematical Olympiad and the China Western Mathematical Invitational. The Chinese Mathematical Olympiad has been moved from January to November or December of the previous year since 2013, so there were two editions of the CMO in 2013, one in January and one in December.[10]

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in early 2020, the training camp was not held and the Chinese team for the 2020 IMO was selected based on the scores of the 2019 CMO.[11] The 2022 CMO was moved to a virtual event following the surge of COVID-19 epidemic in mainland China near the end of 2022, with contestants competing in the exam centers of their own provinces.[12][13]

## Summary

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#  | Year  | City  | Co-organizer

|
|
|

1  | 1986  | Tianjin Municipality | Nankai University
2  | 1987  | Beijing Municipality | Peking University
3  | 1988  | Shanghai Municipality | Fudan University
4  | 1989  | Hefei, Anhui Province | University of Science and Technology of China
5  | 1990  | Zhengzhou, Henan Province | Editorial office of the magazine Maths Physics & Chemistry for Middle School Students
6  | 1991  | Wuhan, Hubei Province | Central China Normal University
7  | 1992  | Beijing Municipality | Beijing Mathematical Olympiad Development Centre
8  | 1993  | Jinan, Shandong Province | Shandong University
9  | 1994  | Shanghai Municipality | Fudan University
10  | 1995  | Hefei, Anhui Province | University of Science and Technology of China
11  | 1996  | Tianjin Municipality | Nankai University
12  | 1997  | Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province | Zhejiang University
13  | 1998  | Guangzhou, Guangdong Province | Guangzhou Normal College
14  | 1999  | Beijing Municipality | Peking University
15  | 2000  | Hefei, Anhui Province | University of Science and Technology of China
16  | 2001  | Hong Kong SAR | Chinese University of Hong Kong
17  | 2002  | Shanghai Municipality | Shanghai High School
18  | 2003  | Changsha, Hunan Province | First Middle School of Changsha
19  | 2004  | Macau SAR | University of Macau
20  | 2005  | Zhengzhou, Henan Province | Zhengzhou Foreign Language School
21  | 2006  | Fuzhou, Fujian Province | Fuzhou No.1 Middle School
22  | 2007  | Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province | Zhejiang Wenzhou High School
23  | 2008  | Harbin, Heilongjiang Province | High School Affiliated to Harbin Normal University
24  | 2009  | Qionghai, Hainan Province | Jiaji Middle School
25  | 2010  | Chongqing Municipality | Chongqing Nankai Secondary School
26  | 2011  | Changchun, Jilin Province | High School Attached to Northeast Normal University
27  | 2012  | Xi'an, Shaanxi Province | Middle School Attached to Northwestern Polytechnical University
28  | 2013  | Shenyang, Liaoning Province | Liaoning Shenyang Northeast Yucai School
29  | 2013  | Nanjing, Jiangsu Province | High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University
30  | 2014  | Chongqing Municipality | Bashu Secondary School
31  | 2015  | Yingtan, Jiangxi Province | Yingtan Jiangxi No.1 Middle School
32  | 2016  | Changsha, Hunan Province | Yali High School
33  | 2017  | Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province | Hangzhou Xuejun High School
34  | 2018  | Chengdu, Sichuan Province | Sichuan Chengdu No.7 High School
35  | 2019  | Wuhan, Hubei Province | No.1 Middle School Affiliated to Central China Normal University
36  | 2020  | Changsha, Hunan Province | Changjun High School
37  | 2021  | Fuzhou, Fujian Province | Affiliated High School of Fujian Normal University
38  | 2022  | Shenzhen, Guangdong Province (virtual)  | Shenzhen Middle School
39  | 2023  | Wuhan, Hubei Province | Wugang No.3 High School
40  | 2024  | Ningbo, Zhejiang Province | Zhenhai Middle School, Ningbo Zhenhai Jiaochuan Academy (middle school)

## References

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1. ^ "全国中学生五项学科竞赛管理条例（修订）". 上海市教育委员会 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 27 March 2024.
2. ^ "第32届中国数学奥林匹克获奖名单公示". 中国数学会 (in Chinese). 29 November 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
3. ^ "浙江数学省队26人！2023全国中学生数学冬令营省队分配名额公布". Sohu (in Chinese). 16 September 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
4. ^ Xiong, Bin; Lee, Peng Yee, eds. (2007). "Front Matter". Mathematical Olympiad in China: Problems and Solutions. East China Normal University Press; World Scientific Publishing. pp. vii–xix. doi:10.1142/9789812709790_fmatter. ISBN 978-981-270-789-5.
5. ^ a b "王元先生回忆: 回忆第31届国际数学奥林匹克". CAM Digest (in Chinese). Vol. 6, no. 4\. 2009. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
6. ^ 2009年IMO中国国家集训队教练组, ed. (2009). 走向IMO：数学奥林匹克试题集锦2009 (in Chinese). 华东师范大学出版社.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: editors list (link)
7. ^ 2014年IMO中国国家集训队教练组, ed. (2014). 走向IMO：数学奥林匹克试题集锦2014 (in Chinese). 华东师范大学出版社.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: editors list (link)
8. ^ "2017年中国数学奥林匹克国家集训队集训通知". 搜狐 (in Chinese). 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
9. ^ 2018年IMO中国国家集训队教练组, ed. (2018). 走向IMO：数学奥林匹克试题集锦2018 (in Chinese). 华东师范大学出版社.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: editors list (link)
10. ^ 2014年IMO中国国家集训队教练组, ed. (2014). 走向IMO：数学奥林匹克试题集锦2014 (in Chinese). 华东师范大学出版社.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: editors list (link)
11. ^ 熊斌; 蒋培杰 (November 2021). "国际数学奥林匹克的中国经验". 华东师范大学学报（自然科学版） (in Chinese) (6). doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-5641.2021.06.001. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
12. ^ "2022年全国中学生数学奥林匹克竞赛（决赛）第一次通知发布". 国际竞赛网 (in Chinese). December 15, 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
13. ^ "2022年全国中学生数学奥林匹克竞赛（决赛）第二次通知发布". 搜狐 (in Chinese). 21 December 2022. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.