Taiwan wins 2 gold, 2 silver medals at International Chemistry Olympiad

Taipei, July 30 (CNA) Taiwanese high school students won two gold medals and two silver medals at the 2024 International Chemistry Olympiad held in Saudi Arabia July 21-30, placing Taiwan fifth in the world rankings.

Ko Yen-hung (葛彥宏) and Li Chia-wei (呂家瑋), both from Tainan First Senior High School, won gold medals in the chemistry-themed academic competition.

Chen Jiun-ze (陳鈞澤), from Taichung First Senior High School, and Lin Jun-yu (林竣宇), from Jianguo High School in Taipei, also won silver medals.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, the Ministry of Education (MOE) explained that Ko, Li, Chen and Lin had been chosen to represent Taiwan after a selection and training process.

This year's competition, which took place in Riyadh, saw participation by 327 students from 90 countries, the MOE said.

Ko achieved the best individual performance of the Taiwanese students, ranking seventh globally, in the contest testing high school students' knowledge and skills in chemistry through a mix of both theoretical and practical exams.

Ko grew up in an engineering family and was introduced to chemistry at a young age. He took part in his first school chemistry competition online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The talented student later trained at Tainan First Senior High School and participated in an Olympiad training camp.

"The competition results are just marks of growth, reminding me to cherish past memories and to continue loving chemistry," Ko said.

Taiwan has a strong track record in the International Chemistry Olympiad, ranking first in the world with four gold medals when the competition was held in China in 2022.

In 2023, Taiwan secured three golds and one silver in the Olympiad held in Switzerland, ranking third.

The MOE said in the press release that students winning medals at the International Olympiad are provided with recommendation letters from the ministry to help them get admitted to university.

They also can receive scholarships of NT$200,000 (US$6,085), NT$100,000, and NT$50,000 for gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively, the ministry said.