Singapore – A group of Singaporean students won the International Geography Olympiad (iGeo), returning the country to the top spot for the first time since 2014.
One of them, Wong Kang Cheng, 17, a first-year student at Hwacheon Institution Junior College, battled a Covid-19 attack that he contracted during a competition held July 12-18.
“I took the last part of the competition at home and an hour later I had a 39 degree fever and a headache so I just planted my face,” the table.
Kang Zheng pushed forward because he didn’t want to waste the year-long effort he and his four-man team had put in to prepare, he said. He ended up winning the gold medal.
The team won a total of three gold medals and one silver medal at the 18th iGeo held online from Paris, placing first among a total of 209 participants from 54 countries and regions.
The competition consisted of written, multimedia and fieldwork tests.
In a statement congratulating the team on Thursday, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said: “
The team also participated in an iGeo poster presentation to share the impact of plastic pollution on aquatic ecosystems and oceans and Singapore’s response to the impact on the country.
Singaporean students also placed 10th at the 34th International Informatics Olympiad in August, 24th at the 63rd International Mathematical Olympiad in July, and 5th at the 33rd International Biology Olympiad.
The team also won 6th place at the 54th International Chemistry Olympiad and 9th place at the 52nd International Physics Olympiad.
MOE said:
