The Indian delegation achieved remarkable success at the 54th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2024, held from July 21 to July 29 in Isfahan, Iran. All five Indian participants won medals, securing 2 gold and 3 silver medals. Rhythm Kedia from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and Ved Lahoti from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, won gold medals. Meanwhile, Akarsh Raj Sahay from Nagpur, Maharashtra, Bhavya Tiwari from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and Jaiveer Singh from Kota, Rajasthan, earned silver medals.
In the country-wise medals tally, India was placed in the fourth position, jointly with Vietnam. China came in at the top, followed by Russia and Romania in second and third positions, respectively. In all, 18 gold, 35 silver, and 53 bronze medals were awarded. A total of 193 students from 43 countries participated in the competition. Much of the Western world stayed away from IPhO this year.
India’s delegation was led by Prof. Deepak Garg (DAV College, Chandigarh) and Dr. Shirish Pathare (HBCSE, TIFR), with Prof. A. C. Biyani (Retd., Govt. Nagarjuna Post Graduate College of Science, Raipur) and Prof. Vivek Bhide (Gogate-Jogalekar College, Ratnagiri) serving as scientific observers.
The 5-hour theoretical competition had three problems based on a simple model of global warming due to the greenhouse effect, the trapping of ions using the “Paul trap,” and Doppler cooling techniques, and the dynamics and stability of an accreting binary star system. In the experimental component of 5 hours, contestants performed two tasks – one on heat conduction through a copper rod, and the other on diffraction from phase steps.
India’s consistent performance at IPhO, marked by 41 per cent gold, 42 per cent silver, 11 per cent bronze, and 6 per cent honourable mentions over 25 years, highlights the country’s dedication to excellence in science education.
The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is the World Championship Physics Competition for High School students and is held annually in a different country. The first IPhO was held in 1967 in Poland. It has gradually expanded to over 80 countries across 5 continents. The competition takes place each year and each host country observes the regulations and traditions of the IPhO.