The national team of young physicists from Bosnia and Herzegovina achieved a historic triumph at the just-completed 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), held in Colombia. The competition featured over 400 participants from 94 countries worldwide. All five Bosnian and Herzegovinian competitors won awards and recognition.
This is only the second time in the last 30 years, since 1996, when Bosnia and Herzegovina began participating independently in this prestigious competition, that the entire national team returned with a 100% success rate.
The achieved results and awards for the Bosnia and Herzegovina team are as follows:
Alen Avdibegović (Druga gimnazija Sarajevo, 3rd grade) – Bronze Medal
Vuk Janković (Gimnazija “Jovan Dučić” Trebinje, 3rd grade) – Bronze Medal
Samel Ribić (Treća gimnazija Sarajevo, 4th grade) – Honorable Mention
Stefan Maletić (Gimnazija Banja Luka, 3rd grade) – Honorable Mention
Bakir Širbegović (Druga gimnazija Sarajevo, 3rd grade) – Honorable Mention
The competition at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) represents the height of high school education and comprises extremely demanding experimental and theoretical tasks that students solve over two days in sessions of up to five hours each. The success of the Bosnia and Herzegovina team carries even more weight when considering the completely different climatic conditions and the significant time difference.
The leaders of this historic and successful Bosnia and Herzegovina national team were Majra Šišić Čaluk and Bojan Kovačević.
This incredible result has officially closed this year’s season of international physics competitions in the most beautiful way. The team members used this opportunity to thank all institutional and private donors from across Bosnia and Herzegovina who recognized our students’ knowledge and provided the financial support that enabled their journey to the top of the world.
