Welcome to 12th International Biology Olympiad

The International Biology Olympiad (IBO) is a science olympiad for high school pupils. All participating countries send the four winners of their National Biology Olympiad to the IBO, accompanied by usually one team leader and two observers/jurors.

The aims of the IBO are to promote a career in science for talented students and to stress the importance of biology in our current society. It also provides a great opportunity to compare educational methods and exchange experiences. This is useful information to improve biology education on a national level. Since the organization of every National Olympiad requires the cooperation of many institutions, such as ministries of education, industry, teachers' associations, universities and schools, communication and cooperation between those institutions is promoted and intensified. And last but not least, the IBO stimulates contact between students and teatchers from many countries in a friendly environment. To demonstrate this last aim, both students and teachers swear an oath of behaving according to the principles of Fair Play.

All participants are ranked based on their individual scores. These are based on the results of a theoretical and a practical test, each making up approximately fifty percent of the final score. Gold medals are awarded to the top 10% of students, silver medals are awared to the next 20% of students and bronze medals are awarded to the next 30% of students. Despite the oath on fair play, one student has been caught cheating. As a consequence, he was disqualified.

The IBO's official languages are English and Russian. To provide equal opportunities for all participants, the tests are translated prior to the testing days. This is done by each country's own team leaders and jurors. This means they hold specific information on the tests before the participants should know. Therefore, teachers and students are lodged in separate accommodation. Only after testing they meet.

The importance of winning a medal differs greatly between countries. For students from South East Asia for example, winning a golden medal garantees access to a university of choice and a fellowship. In several Western European countries, a medal brings no advantages of that kind to the student. This difference is reflected in the final results: many gold medals go to Asian students. Whereas some others might cheer if just one team member wins bronze, to them winning bronze would be a personal disaster.

Report on the preparation ? 29 March 2001
1. Time schedule and Venue
The 12th IBO will take place in Brussels, capital city of Belgium and Europe, from Sunday July 8 to Sunday
July 15, 2001.
2. Website
The IBO 2001 website is active at www.ibo2001.be. The site includes much of the information you read
here, plus some useful facts about your stay in Belgium.
3. Invitation
The following countries are invited by an official letter sent to the Ministry of Education and to the national
Co-ordinator, according to the list of addresses provided by the IBO International Co-ordinating Centre
(Prague):
Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic,
Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kenya,
Kirgizhistan, Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Mexico, Moldavia, Mongolia, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania,
Russia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.
In order to qualify for the invitation, the co-ordinators have to be officially delegated by their Government
(confirmation form is supposed to have been sent to IBO Co-ordinating Centre, Prague; e-mail:
tmsoukup@biomed.cas.cz); the competitors have to be the winners of the National Biology Olympiad, in
their country.
Brazil, Mozambique, Portugal and USA will be invited as observers.
4. Application and declaration forms
As usual, application of a country in the 12th International Biology Olympiad has to comply with the IBO
Rules.
Application forms for Jury members, observers and competitors will be sent in due time to the Coordinators;
they will also be available from the website www.ibo2001.be.
Each competitor will have to sign a declaration form, stating he or she is a student in a secondary school in
his or her country.
5. Coming to Belgium
Passport and Visa
Each delegation is responsible for passports and a possible visa, in case these are needed. When in
doubt, please refer to the local Belgian Embassy (list available from the website http://diplobel.fgov.be)
Arriving
Belgium is very easily reached, by almost any transportation mode: air, rail, sea, road…
The delegations will be met preferably in Brussels National airport (15 km from the city centre) or Brussels
South railway station (“Bruxelles Midi ? Brussel Zuid”) and transferred to their lodgings.

15 July Departures Accompanying delegations to
airport / railway station
7. Weather and clothing
The normal Belgian summer is unpredictable, usually anything but dry. Temperatures are… temperate!
Maximum between 15°C and 30°C, mostly 25°C. Thunderstorms are inevitable following a few days hot
weather. Thus, get ready for anything (but snow).
8. Accommodation
Students will be hosted in a Brussels boarding school (capacity: 170 beds) in comfortable individual rooms.
The school is located in a nice “green” environment. Sports and leisure facilities are available. A delegate
of the Organisers will be present. The guides will be accommodated in a nearby hotel.
Adults accommodation: double rooms, in Hotel Astrid (single rooms require an extra fee!).
This nice and very centrally located Brussels hotel ? only 400 m. from the Grand'Place ? offers 100
modern styled rooms (TV, in-house movies, radio, telephone, working-desk, free private safe, bathroom
with shower, bath, toilet and hairdryer).