In a first, India grabs all gold medals in International Biology Olympiad 2023; tops medal tally

NEW DELHI: India has topped the medal tally in the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) 2023 with every participating student securing a gold medal. The 34th IBO was held in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from July 3 to July 11, 2023.

The Indian students who participated in the olympiad were Dhruv Advani from Bengaluru, Karnataka, Ishan Pednekar from Kota, Rajasthan, Megh Chhabda from Jalna, Maharashtra, and Rohit Panda from Risali, Chattisgarh.

The Indian team was accompanied by Madan M Chaturvedi, a former senior professor from Delhi University; Anupama Ronad from Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR); V V Binoy from the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bengaluru, and Rambhadur Subedi from National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) Mumbai.

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A total of 293 students from 76 countries participated in the competition. Besides India, Singapore secured four gold medals. A total of 29 gold medals were awarded in the IBO.

India achieved a perfect gold medal sweep and topped the overall medal tally in the International Biology Olympiad for the first time. India has previously topped the medal tally in other olympiads, including astronomy and astrophysics in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2021; physics in 2018, and junior science in 2014, 2019, 2021, and 2022.

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Anwesh Mazumdar, national coordinator of Science Olympiads said,” We congratulate all the Indian students, and the rest of the Indian delegation for this excellent performance. The teachers and mentors from across the country and the Biology Olympiad cell of HBCSE deserve appreciation for training the students during the orientation and pre-departure camps at HBCSE. We thank the National Steering Committee, all the teacher organizations, and the funding agencies of the Govt. of India for their continued strong support of the Olympiad programme.”

Mazumdar further informed that an informal interaction session with the students and mentors is scheduled for July 12, 2023, at 11:30 AM in Room No G1, Main Building.