# International Geography Olympiad

The International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) is an annual competition for 16- to 19-year-old geography students from all over the world. Students chosen to represent their countries are some of the best, chosen from thousands of students who participate enthusiastically in their own National Geography Olympiads. iGeo tests the abilities of every participant in spatial patterns and processes. The iGeo consists of three parts: a written test, a multimedia test and a substantial fieldwork exercise requiring observation, leading to cartographic representation and geographical analysis. The programme also includes poster presentations by teams, cultural exchanges, and time for students to know their fellow students and explore the host city.
The International Geography Olympiad is organised by the International Geographical Union (IGU) Olympiad Task Force, who produce tests with reference to the local organisers and the international board.
After the first iGeo in 1996, it was recommended that the competition was held biennially. Due to the competition growing in popularity, since 2012 the competition has been held annually, rather than biennially, as is the case with the other large International Science Olympiads.
2024 International Geography Olympiad
The 2024 iGeo will be held in the Maynooth University, Trinity College Dublin and Maynooth Post-Primary School. For the first time, Ireland will present a team to the competition, as the winners of the Geography Olympiad for Ireland will attend. The IGEO event is organised by the IGEO 2024 Local Organising Committee, chaired by Dr Susan Pike of Trinity College Dublin.

## History of competition and national success

During the 1994 Congress of the International Geographical Union (IGU) in Prague, people from Poland and the Netherlands launched the idea of an International Geography Competition (iGeo) or Olympiad for students between 15 and 19 years of age. The first one was held in 1996 in The Hague, Netherlands, with five participating countries. The participant count grew to 24 countries with the 2008 competition in Carthage, Tunisia.
Before 2012, the International Science Olympiads were held every two years, and some regional geography Olympiads were held during intervening years. These include the Asia Pacific Regional Geography Olympiads (APRGO), which were held in 2007 (Hsinchu, Taiwan), 2009 (Tsukuba, Japan), and 2011 (Merida, Mexico), and the Central European Regional Geography Olympiads (CERIGEO). Since 2013, the International Geography Olympiad, in concordance with the other Olympiads, has been held on a yearly basis.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 iGeo in Istanbul, Turkey was postponed. The Olympiad was held in Istanbul between 11 and 15 August the following year, with 46 countries participating. The Olympiad was held online once again in 2022, hosted by Paris. It was the edition with the highest number of countries (54) and participants (209). In 2023, the iGeo returned to a physical format and it was held in Bandung, Indonesia. The next Olympiad is to be held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2025.

## Member countries and regions

The countries and regions which participated in the 2023 International Geography Olympiad were:
* Armenia
* Australia
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Brazil
* Bulgaria
* Canada
* China-Beijing
* China-Hong Kong
* Macau
* Taiwan
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czechia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Hungary
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Ireland (observer)
* Japan
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Malaysia
* Mongolia
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* Nigeria
* Philippines
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Serbia
* Singapore
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Switzerland
* Thailand
* Tunisia
* United Kingdom
* United States
The full list of participating teams for all past iGeos may be found on the iGeo website.

## Summary

| Number | Year | Host country | Host city | Individual Olympiad Champion | Best National Team | 2nd National Team | 3rd National Team | Nations | Participants |
| 1 | 1996 | Netherlands | The Hague | Belgium Steven Pattheeuws | Poland | Slovenia | Belgium | 5 | 20 |
| 2 | 1998 | Portugal | Lisbon | Poland Katarzyna Kwiecińska | Poland | Slovenia | Belgium | 5 | 20 |
| 3 | 2000 | South Korea | Seoul | Poland Adam Biliski | Poland | Netherlands | South Korea | 13 | 52 |
| 4 | 2002 | South Africa | Durban | Romania Florin Olteanu | Romania | Poland | Belarus | 12 | 48 |
| 5 | 2004 | Poland | Gdańsk | Poland Maciej Hermanowicz | Poland | Estonia | Romania | 16 | 64 |
| 6 | 2006 | Australia | Brisbane | Poland Jacek Próchniak | Poland | Estonia | Romania | 23 | 92 |
| 7 | 2008 | Tunisia | Carthage | Romania Barbu Ion Alexandru | Romania | Estonia | Australia | 24 | 96 |
| 8 | 2010 | Taiwan | Taipei | Romania Barbu Ion Alexandru | Singapore | Australia | Poland | 27 | 108 |
| 9 | 2012 | Germany | Cologne | Singapore Samuel Chua | Singapore | Romania | Poland | 31 | 124 |
| 10 | 2013 | Japan | Kyoto | Singapore Daniel Wong | Romania | Croatia | Singapore | 32 | 128 |
| 11 | 2014 | Poland | Kraków | USA James Mullen | Singapore | Australia | Romania | 36 | 144 |
| 12 | 2015 | Russia | Tver | Taiwan Chang-Chin Wang | Poland | Romania | Taiwan | 40 | 159 |
| 13 | 2016 | China | Beijing | Thailand Wuttipat Kiratipaisarl | Australia | Singapore | Thailand | 45 | 173 |
| 14 | 2017 | Serbia | Belgrade | Romania Victor Vescu | Poland | Romania | USA | 41 | 160 |
| 15 | 2018 | Canada | Quebec City | Russia Alen Kospanov | Romania | Singapore | USA | 43 | 165 |
| 16 | 2019 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong | USA Albert Zhang | Indonesia | USA | United Kingdom | 43 | 166 |
| — | 2020 | Postponed for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | 2021 | Turkey | Istanbul (online) | Russia Rustam Bigildin | Russia | Singapore | Japan | 46 | 180 |
| 18 | 2022 | France | Paris (online) | Kazakhstan Sanzhar Khamitov | Singapore | Lithuania | Taiwan | 54 | 216 |
| 19 | 2023 | Indonesia | Bandung | Thailand Passakarn Leewongcharoen | Romania | Singapore | Hungary | 45 | 177 |
| 20 | 2024 | Ireland | Dublin and Maynooth | Romania David-Mihai Dumitrescu | USA | Australia | Indonesia | 46 | 183 |
| 21 | 2025 | Thailand | Bangkok | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | 2026 | Turkey | Istanbul | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Performances
### Best nations by podium finishes (all time)

| Place | National Team | 1st, 2nd, 3rd | Years Champions (Teams Participating) | Years Runners Up (Teams) | Years 3rd Place (Teams) |
| 1st | Poland | 7, 1, 2 | 1996 (5), 1998 (5), 2000 (13), 2004 (16), 2006 (23), 2015 (40), 2017 (41) | 2002 (12) | 2010 (27), 2012 (31) |
| 2nd | Romania | 5, 3, 3 | 2002 (12), 2008 (24), 2013 (32), 2018 (43), 2023 (45) | 2012 (31), 2015 (40), 2017 (41) | 2004 (16), 2006 (23), 2014 (36) |
| 3rd | Singapore | 4, 4, 1 | 2010 (27), 2012 (31), 2014 (36), 2022 (54) | 2016 (45), 2018 (43), 2021 (46), 2023 (45) | 2013 (32) |
| 4th | Australia | 1, 3, 1 | 2016 (45) | 2010 (27), 2014 (36), 2024 (46) | 2008 (24) |
| 5th | USA | 1, 1, 2 | 2024 (46) | 2019 (43) | 2017 (41), 2018 (43) |
| 6th | Indonesia | 1, 0, 1 | 2019 (43) | — | 2024 (46) |
| 7th | Russia | 1, 0, 0 | 2021 (46) | — | — |
| 8th | Estonia | 0, 3, 0 | — | 2004 (16), 2006 (23), 2008 (24) | — |
| 9th | Slovenia | 0, 2, 0 | — | 1996 (5), 1998 (5) | — |
| 10th (tied) | Lithuania | 0, 1, 0 | — | 2022 (54) | — |
| 10th (tied) | Croatia | 0, 1, 0 | — | 2013 (32) | — |
| 10th (tied) | Netherlands | 0, 1, 0 | — | 2000 (13) | — |
| 13th (tied) | Taiwan | 0, 0, 2 | — | — | 2015 (40), 2022 (54) |
| 13th (tied) | Belgium | 0, 0, 2 | — | — | 1996 (5), 1998 (5) |
| 15th (tied) | Japan | 0, 0, 1 | — | — | 2021 (46) |
| 15th (tied) | Hungary | 0, 0, 1 | — | — | 2023 (45) |
| 15th (tied) | Thailand | 0, 0, 1 | — | — | 2016 (45) |
| 15th (tied) | United Kingdom | 0, 0, 1 | — | — | 2019 (43) |
| 15th (tied) | South Korea | 0, 0, 1 | — | — | 2000 (13) |
| 15th (tied) | Belarus | 0, 0, 1 | — | — | 2002 (12) |

### Most national individual victories (All time)

| Place | Nation | Wins | World Champions Produced (Year) |
| 1st | Romania | 5 | David-Mihai Dumitrescu (2024), Victor Vescu (2017), Barbu Ion Alexandru (2010, 2008), Florin Olteanu (2002) |
| 2nd | Poland | 4 | Jacek Próchniak (2006), Maciej Hermanowicz (2004), Adam Biliski (2000), Katarzyna Kwiecińska (1998) |
| 3rd (tied) | Singapore | 2 | Daniel Wong (2013), Samuel Chua (2012) |
| 3rd (tied) | USA | 2 | James Mullen (2014), Albert Zhang (2019) |
| 3rd (tied) | Russia | 2 | Alen Kospanov (2018), Rustam Bigildin (2021) |
| 3rd (tied) | Thailand | 2 | Wuttipat Kiratipaisarl (2016), Passakarn Leewongcharoen (2023) |
| 7th (tied) | Taiwan | 1 | Chang-Chin Wang (2015) |
| 7th (tied) | Belgium | 1 | Steven Pattheeuws (1996) |
| 7th (tied) | Kazakhstan | 1 | Sanzhar Khamitov (2022) |