​​​​​Countries around the world attach special importance to education and learning in general, and to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in particular, due to the impact of these fields on industrial and economic progress and facing the challenges and needs that are renewed and accelerating worldwide. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under its wise leadership - may God protect it - pays great attention to education and providing all the capabilities and support that achieve high-quality educational outcomes at all levels. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aims, within Vision 2030, to prepare a competitive citizen locally and globally in all fields, including the accelerating scientific and technical fields, by launching a number of integrated programs, including the Human Capacity Development Program, which focuses on developing basic and future skills, developing capabilities and developing knowledge for different age groups and educational levels.

     Therefore, scientific Olympiad competitions in the fields of science, mathematics and informatics are important because of the vital role they play in providing students with different experiences that go beyond the curriculum and school level, and working to prepare future opportunities in the scientific or professional field, given the high level of scientific knowledge and skills required by these competitions. These international competitions also provide opportunities for scientific communication between scientists, researchers, university faculty members, teachers and students from different countries of the world.

  The development of modern societies depends largely on the knowledge potential of the society, especially in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Osborne et al., 2003), so enhancing students’ interests and skills leads them to choose a future career in this field.

     It is worth noting that the International Science and Mathematics Olympiad competitions have gained rapid momentum at the national level in a number of countries in recent years. The importance of these competitions lies in identifying emerging talents who possess the higher-order thinking skills necessary to master advanced content and practical skills in science, mathematics and programming. The International Science Olympiads are also considered better than the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS] tests, which rely on assessment and theoretical testing only, as well as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), in discovering talents in the competition fields, as the International Science Olympiads focus on higher-order thinking skills and critical thinking in the theoretical and practical fields to a large extent, and are therefore considered a more comprehensive measure of students’ abilities and discovering their talents (Lim et al., 2014).

International Olympiad in Science and Mathematics Competitions

     These are annual international competitions in various fields of science and mathematics. They originated more than fifty years ago in Eastern European countries and were limited to them, then their scope expanded internationally so that the number of participating countries ranged from more than 110 countries according to each Olympiad. The International Olympiad in Science and Mathematics competitions are among the strongest scientific competitions for general education students, and those who are not over twenty years old and have not joined the university stage. These competitions are usually held in the summer of each year, hosted by one of the participating countries. A number of 4-6 students representing the country participating in the competition participate in these competitions. The questions of these competitions are characterized by their difficulty and their advanced level outside the scope of school curricula. The tests are usually held over two days, a theoretical test, and a practical test according to the nature and specialization of the competition. The duration of each test ranges from 4-5 hours. The best performing students in terms of total test scores in these competitions receive medals. The distribution of medals is based on the average performance of the students each year, with a minimum score. In general, about 50-60% of the participants receive medals. The medals are distributed according to the following percentages of the number of participating students, in descending order from highest to lowest: 10% gold medal, 20% silver medal, 30% bronze medal. In some competitions, a special excellence award is given to the student with exceptional performance. Each country is represented in the competition by a team of participating students, and team leaders from supervisors and coaches.

    The International Olympiad competitions for general education students include several specializations, which are:

Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Informatics, and Biology, and other fields were added successively, bringing the number to fourteen international Olympiads. Each international Olympiad has its own organizing body that works on setting the policies, procedures, and controls for the competition. The website for each competition includes all the details and an almost complete record of information about the history of the competition, its various versions, competition topics and questions, student results, and winning countries. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has participated in a number of these competitions. 

The following table shows the name of the competition and the date of its establishment:

            Global practices in preparing students to participate in international Olympiad competitions

   The International Science Olympiad competitions generally share the goal of promoting scientific and professional life in science, for a group of the best students competing in the field of these competitions worldwide. These competitions directly and indirectly reflect the level of different education systems in each country. Although the competitions target general education students, the very high standards of the tests, and achieving victory or a high rank in any of these tests may guarantee access to the chosen university in a number of countries, and some international universities compete to attract these winning students.

      The best students are nominated to participate and represent the country in these international competitions based on specific and different practices and mechanisms in the participating countries. Despite the importance of the international Olympiad competitions, literary and scientific studies in this field are limited, especially from the countries that excel in these competitions (Lim et al., 2014). Through research and identification of the best global practices in this field, especially in the countries that achieved the best results in each field of the international Olympiad competition, other countries can develop their practices to qualify students to participate in these competitions and achieve the best results. These competitions represent a turning point in the scientific and professional career and life of students, which contribute, God willing, to shaping a better future for humanity. 

      It is worth noting that China ranks first in all competitions, based on the number of medals won in each competition, especially gold medals. South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, and the United States also appear in advanced positions and in varying order according to the competition field. China's success for consecutive years, occupying the first place in all competitions, has made it the subject of great attention. The published experiences and practices of some other countries in some competitions are also worth noting.

     By researching global practices in qualifying students to participate in international Olympiad competitions in science and mathematics for general education students. Especially in the international Olympiad competitions in which students from the Kingdom participated. We find that China's experience, especially in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), is one of the experiences that require in-depth research, as the International Mathematical Olympiad - historically - is the first scientific Olympiad, and it is also the first scientific Olympiad in which China participated. It has benefited from its experience and built on it to develop its practice in other Olympiad competitions. It also shows the importance of reviewing China's experience in the Mathematical Olympiad to transfer experience to other countries (XIONG & JIANG, 2021). And the impact of the experience on the development of scientific material and cumulative writings and the publication of related educational materials. It is also important that the training system be at different levels, with training at the school level, which is the main center for students, and the importance of organizing local mathematics competitions to select contestants to participate in the International Mathematical Olympiad in terms of organizing the selection and nomination process for students, in order to help develop talents in mathematics and technology, as this competition is seen as one of the most important global talent and intelligence competitions in terms of influence and impact. Many prominent mathematicians and winners of the Fields Medal - the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in science - have appeared in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

     South Korea and Japan are among the most advanced countries after China, and by tracking the performance of these three countries, the positive impact of hosting the Olympiad on the results and ranking of the host country can be observed. The average grades of students increase by 9.8% if the student's country hosts the Olympiad. It is worth noting that female representation is very weak in Olympiad competitions from different countries, as it does not exceed 10% of the total participants in most countries of the world (Berg, 2021). To encourage increased female participation in mathematics competitions, a number of countries have launched mathematics Olympiad competitions specifically for women, such as the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) and the Girls' Mathematical Olympiad in Britain.

   To prepare students to participate in the international Olympiads, these students in these countries undergo a series of qualifying stages for international participation, as most countries hold national Olympiad competitions in which school students from all over the country compete. The competition is subject to a series of tests that vary in style and level based on the number of participants and their progress in the qualifying and nomination stages for higher levels, in which they are trained intensively during the holidays, and are subject to tests that simulate the level of the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) tests. When searching for other Olympiad competitions in advanced countries, or with distinguished experiences worthy of consideration, we find the German National Physics Olympiad, which is a prelude to the International Physics Olympiad. The importance of student competitions is seen as a strong measure of enrichment and integration with formal school education, and for their role in motivating students and enhancing their skills (Petersen & Wulff, 2017). Therefore, we find that the qualification and nomination process includes four stages, and in the penultimate stages, a small number of exceptional students are targeted, especially with the need for practical training, which represents a challenge in this competition, and the focus is on individual performance to select the national team for international representation.

    The International Chemistry Olympiad shares with the Physics Olympiad the need for practical training. India has reviewed its experience (Ladage, 2009) which was characterized by good organization in this field. The Indian Chemistry Olympiad program has undergone a number of organizational changes since its inception until it became a major educational activity at the national level in India, and contributes directly and indirectly to chemistry education. In India, the selection and qualification of the Indian team participating in the IChO International Competition is also done in four stages, gradually increasing in level with a gradual decrease in the number of students based on a number of qualifying and nomination tests from one stage to another.

   One of the major challenges facing students in India is the lack of exposure to laboratory experiments in school curricula, including students who are finalists to represent the Indian team in the International Chemistry Olympiad.

     As for the Informatics Olympiad, the competition is a motivation to focus on the importance of teaching computer science and programming in the early stages of education, as there is a lack of interest in computer science education in many countries, or it is limited to only usage skills. Macedonia is one of the first countries to introduce computer science curricula in primary schools (Jovanov et al., 2016). It focuses on the training necessary to develop students’ abilities to solve complex problems in a limited time. Talent is also one of the most important factors in increasing the chance of winning medals in the Informatics Olympiad, as designing an algorithm and proving its effectiveness is an art in itself.

    The importance of the International Biology Olympiad lies in discovering talented students who may help in the future to find solutions to the problems of the twenty-first century related to sustainable development and environmental conservation. The gathering of national teams participating in the international competition is an exceptional opportunity to exchange experiences and compare educational methods and trends in different countries. Singapore is one of the countries that has made great progress in the International Biology Olympiad. Researchers Lim et al., 2014) discussed Singapore's experience in the International Physics, Chemistry and Biology Olympiads and the factors of Singapore's success in these competitions. Although Singapore is a small country with no natural resources, it focuses greatly on developing and nurturing its human resources in particular, through the education system, and ensuring sustainability, renewal, development, growth and innovation in the field of science and caring for scientists. This is evident from the record of successful participation in various science competitions, including the International Olympiads. In addition to the similar training, qualification and nomination stages, Singapore is distinguished by the fact that the selection of qualified outstanding students is not only done through test results, but also through personal interviews that reveal important personality traits in dealing with certain situations, especially since they are ambassadors for the country in these international competitions. Therefore, Singapore’s experience can be important in providing useful indicators for other countries, especially developing countries, regarding how to further enhance scientific awareness among citizens, in addition to preparing the future generation of scientists to encourage them to participate in the Olympiad.

   Through research into global practices for qualifying students to participate in science Olympiad competitions, a number of successful practices emerged, shared by different countries with distinguished experiences or advanced positions in the field of the competition. We can summarize the most prominent of them as follows:

1. Countries with advanced positions have national Olympiad competitions that qualify for international Olympiad competitions.

2. Students participate in a number of competitions at the regional level before entering the international competition.

3. A number of advanced countries have a clear structure and organization of competitions at the national level that serves the goals of the International Olympiad.

4. A number of countries have initiatives to provide appropriate scientific materials and tests to encourage self-learning.

5. Disseminate the culture of competitions and their importance, and highlight the contributions and results of participation and winning between different regions and schools.

6. Some countries have distinguished websites in the field of national competitions that qualify for the international competition and are considered basic reference sources of information in the field of competitions, including Germany and India.

7. Qualification and nomination in most countries is done through three to four stages that include tests and training forums. The most prominent characteristics of these stages are that in the advanced stages, the selection procedures are often decentralized and take place in local schools or regional centers. In the advanced stages, the selection processes become more centralized. The number of candidates decreases significantly as the level of competition and nomination tests advance, and practical training is held in the final stages for a small number of students.

8. Holding training forums and additional lessons in special groups that include distinguished students in the field, in order to cover the shortcomings in the school curriculum, which is considered insufficient for participation in these competitions in terms of scientific content and training in the higher thinking skills necessary to solve the problems of these competitions.

9. Conducting special and intensive training on the practical experimental aspect to fill the shortcomings of the school curriculum in this aspect due to circumstances that vary between countries.

10. Holding training forums and workshops to train teachers on competition topics, advanced problem-solving skills, and skills for discovering gifted students.

11. Hiring faculty members and researchers from universities, in the higher qualification and training stages, and designing and analyzing test questions at the level of various national competitions.

12. Sustaining relationships with supervisors, trainers and various parties, as the importance of maintaining strong, long-term cumulative experiences becomes apparent.

13. A detailed analysis of students’ performance is conducted, based on each student’s individual performance in the International Olympiad test questions; this is to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses in the specific disciplines of the competition field and design and plan training accordingly.

14. Document and track students’ current and future achievements, academic and professional careers, and the impact of participation or winning on this career.

15. Work on initiatives and procedures to encourage and increase the rate of female students’ participation in these competitions.  

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Jovanov, M., Stankov, E., Mihova, M., Ristov, S., & Gusev, M. (2016). Computing as a new compulsory subject in the Macedonian primary schools curriculum. 2016 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON),

Ladage, S. (2009). Indian National Chemistry Olympiad Examination: Implications for Teaching and Learning of Chemistry. Chemistry Education in the ICT Age, 311-316.

Lim, S. S., Cheah, H.-M., & Hor, T. A. (2014). Science olympiads as vehicles for identifying talent in the sciences: The singapore experience. Communicating Science to the Public: Opportunities and Challenges for the Asia-Pacific Region, 195-211.

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The International Biology Olympiad. Retrieved January 2023 from https://www.ibo-info.org/en/

The International Chemistry Olympiad. Retrieved January 2023 from https://www.ichosc.org/

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The International Olympiad in Informatics Syllabus. Retrieved January 2023 from https://ioinformatics.org/files/ioi-syllabus-2020.pdf

The International Olympiads in Informatics. Retrieved January 2023 from https://ioinformatics.org/

The International Physics Olympiad Retrieved January 2023 from https://www.ipho-new.org​