The olympiads
Six international olympiads sit at the top of school-level science. This page sets out what each one is, how it is run, and where Lebanon stands.
At a glance
| Olympiad | First held | Team size | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMO International Mathematical Olympiad | 1959 | 6 | First team in 2027 |
| IPhO International Physics Olympiad | 1967 | 5 | In progress |
| IOI International Olympiad in Informatics | 1989 | 4 | In progress |
| IOAI International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence | 2024 | 4 | In progress |
| IChO International Chemistry Olympiad | 1968 | 4 | Not yet entered |
| IBO International Biology Olympiad | 1990 | 4 | Not yet entered |
International Mathematical Olympiad
IMOFirst held 1959Team size 6Active
History
The oldest of the international science olympiads. The first was held in Romania in 1959 with seven countries taking part, and it now draws over a hundred delegations each July.
Format
Six problems across two days, three on each, with four and a half hours for each paper. Every problem is marked out of seven, so a perfect score is 42. Students compete as individuals, though the results are usually read as a table of countries.
Status
Lebanon is registered with the IMO and has a listed national contact, but has never sent a competing team. LASO attended the 2026 edition in Shanghai as observers; the 2027 team in Hungary will be the country's first.
| Year | Host | Delegation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Shanghai, China | Observer delegation |
| 2027 | Hungary | First competing team |
International Physics Olympiad
IPhOFirst held 1967Team size 5Planned
History
First held in Warsaw in 1967, and now among the largest of the science olympiads.
Format
Two five-hour papers on separate days: a theoretical exam of three problems, and an experimental exam worked in the laboratory. A delegation is at most five students with two leaders. Gold goes to roughly the top eight per cent, and about two thirds of contestants leave with a medal or an honourable mention.
Status
Lebanon does not appear in the IPhO's country register, which lists participating nations whether or not they have won a medal.
International Olympiad in Informatics
IOIFirst held 1989Team size 4Planned
History
First held in Pravetz, Bulgaria, in 1989, and now the reference competition for algorithmic programming at school level.
Format
Two competition days, each with about three algorithmic tasks and five hours at the keyboard. Submissions are judged automatically against hidden test data, with partial credit for partial solutions. A delegation is at most four students. Medals go to the top half of contestants, in roughly a one-two-three ratio of gold to silver to bronze.
Status
Lebanon has never participated. The IOI's register records countries that competed without winning anything, and Lebanon is absent from it entirely.
International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence
IOAIFirst held 2024Team size 4Planned
History
First held in Burgas, Bulgaria, in 2024, which makes it by some distance the youngest of the six.
Format
A scientific round and a practical round. The scientific round covers machine learning, natural language processing and computer vision, and is worked on in advance; the practical round is sat under supervision at the competition. A delegation is at most four students with two team leaders.
Status
Lebanon has taken part in the IOAI. The team that went did so independently and was not entered by the association.
International Chemistry Olympiad
IChOFirst held 1968Team size 4Future scope
History
First held in Prague in 1968, and run every year since except 1971.
Format
A laboratory examination worth forty points and a theoretical paper worth sixty, each up to five hours and held on separate days. Contestants must be under twenty and not yet enrolled in higher education. A delegation is at most four students. A country new to the competition attends as an observer for two consecutive years before its students may compete.
Status
Lebanon does not appear in the IChO's register of participating countries.
International Biology Olympiad
IBOFirst held 1990Team size 4Future scope
History
First held in Olomouc, then Czechoslovakia, in 1990, with six countries and twenty-two students.
Format
Theoretical and practical examinations, the practical worked across a series of laboratory stations. Each country sends the four winners of its own national biology olympiad, who must be under twenty and not yet at university.
Status
Lebanon is not a member of the IBO and does not appear in its published results.